[Sticks]

Prologue

Note contains spoilers from previous seasons and tales

This follows on from The Mystical Realms Sagas Season Eleven – Duties of the State

…oo00O00oo…

Spoiler:

It is said that some people never learn, and that those who ignore history are destined to repeat it.

The book of Ecclesiastes says “there is nothing new under the sun”

Many years ago the British took the lead in dealing with incursions from the Mystical Realms. They had a simple policy, summed up in three words:

Incarcerate
Interrogate
Exterminate

Then the Brits were seen to have made a fatal error and allegedly mistook the daughter of a dead Irish war hero for a creature from the Mystical Realms and subjected her to degrading prisoner abuse in the secret headquarters of the organisation set up to address the issue of incursions from that other world.

The scandal saw the Americans take over, only for the main UK headquarters of that organisation, known as the Facility to be destroyed by a lorry bomb months later.

For political reasons, the organisation was headquartered in Washington DC, but then after they managed to defeat a plan to conquer Earth by rouge forces on the Mystical Realms, the members of the organisation became unpopular with the new administration in the Whitehouse.

This left the Brits free to take up where they had been forced to leave off, before the American take over

But then the situation was different, the direct link to the Mystical Realms had been severed, all there were, were the odd Mystical Realms entities trapped on Earth to be mopped up and eliminated, to protect humans from creatures with who knows what special powers they might deploy against humans.

Even then, those creatures were small and almost insignificant. Apart from routine monitoring of any possible, but unlikely incursion into our world, for all intents and purposes, the threat from creatures with magical powers was under control and well on the way to eradication.

Wasn’t it?

________________________________

Previously in the Mystical Realms Sagas and Tales

+ + +

Spoiler:

On the top deck of a London Bus
The streets of South London
England

Gregory O’Doyle sat on the top deck of the London bus as he spoke with an officer from MI5 who had ordered the bus to stop and had taken a bag from him containing firearms.

“And how do I know, you won’t just end up sucking up to him like many did the first time” Gregory demanded to know
“Let’s just say Mr O’Doyle” the MI5 officer went on, “The game has changed and we have our own reasons to deal with Sir Sidney, in fact we already have someone on the inside” The MI5 officer then looked Gregory in the eye, “So Mr O’Doyle, visit your daughter or return straight to Dublin, what’s it to be”

“It’s been a while since I last saw my daughter” Gregory went on, “What is Cromer like this time of year? I’m sure Debbie and Kyle would like to see me after all this time”

The MI5 officer smiled, “Good choice and a perfect cover for your sudden trip over here”

“Like I said before” Gregory replied, “Always glad to help our colleagues in MI5. Just make sure you get the b*****d”

“Oh yes” the MI5 officer replied, “We will”

+ + +

Spoiler:

Outside a ware house on the Banks of the River Thames
London, England

“OK, get in the van Brigadier General” a man with a gun ordered, “Or I shoot one of the ladies”

“It’s Captain Andrews isn’t it?” Brigadier General Samuel Peters asked the man
“Correct, well done, now in the van” the man answered

There was the sound of a gun being cocked.

Samuel turned around and headed for the van, “I’m surprised Captain that you threw in your lot with Sir Sidney” Samuel said as he stepped into the van, “I mean I thought you didn’t want us to have anything to do with IDW01 and Sir Sidney here wants to exploit it like some companies exploit the third world”

“What makes you think its Sir Sidney we’re working for” the bodyguard sneered. Suddenly Samuel felt a searing pain on the back of his head and everything went black

+ + +

Spoiler:

A Roll’s Royce
Driving through London

The woman in her thirties pulled out from her purse what looked like an empty old fashioned cotton reel, which alarmed the elderly man sitting next to her

The thread around it was glowing with a greenish glow and a small length of it hung down.

“Look what I found in your safe when you were in that artificial universe visiting that Doctor Henshaw and that girl who once saved my life”

“Janine” the elderly man said with force of authority, “Hand that back”

“No father” Janine replied and pulled from her purse a pair of nail clippers.

“That’s my life thread” the elderly man said with a hint of anger and fear in his voice, “Only the Shears of Atropos or the sickle of the Spirit of Death can cut it” he added

“But father” Janine smile, “You of all such people should know, when the worlds separated, not all of the magical people were able to get back to their world”

“The odd pixie” the elderly man replied, “But they” he tried to add, but in that short space of time Janine snipped off the end of the life thread.

Sir Sidney was overwhelmed by a searing pain in his chest and found it impossible to breath.

“We captured one father and got him to enchant my nail clippers” Janine explained as she watched her father die.

“Williams” Janine called out to the driver, “Sir Sidney has retired from the board, and I am now the new CEO. Can we kindly stop near the London eye so those nice gentlemen from our security services can dispose of Sir Sidney’s body?”

“Yes of course madam” the black man with a cut glass accent replied.

+ + +

Spoiler:

+ + +

Somewhere in the American Midwest

“The Brits are starting it up again Mark” Brigadier Samuel Peters told his former right hand man, “It seems someone in the British Government knew about the old IDEC UK all along. They said they were now reclaiming control back from us”

“What’s the point?” Mark asked, “We can no longer get to the Mystical Realms and they cannot come here”

“It seems Mark, that not all of the IDE’s returned home” Samuel explained, “And also as they believe they have Sir Sidney’s means of getting to IDW01, others may work out how to do it as well, including any entities on IDW01, and they want to be ready for that day”
“What about Mr Blue and the last time they ran things?” Mark protested

“They say all Mr Blue was guilty of was assaulting and mistreating an Irish citizen, but that we dropped the ball too and as a result Earth fell” Samuel replied
“But we fixed that” Mark objected
“I told them that Mark” Samuel replied, “But they claim under Mr Blue it would never have happened in the first place”
“They are so wrong Sam” Mark said, shaking his head

[Sticks]

Episode I– Prelude

Spoiler:

Holloway Prison
London, England

(One Year Previously)

The female prisoner was frogmarched into what must be as far as she knew a little used room in the prison where she was serving a life term for conspiracy to commit murder.

Something was not right by the way the prison guards were treating her, even if she was considered a murderer. For one she had been ordered to strip completely naked, then she was handcuffed with he hands behind her back, and her legs shackled. Finally, she was blindfolded.

This was obviously being done to degrade her, and was most likely illegal, but as she was a convicted murderer, would anyone, apart from those in the liberal elite care

She was forced to sit down on what felt like a cold hard stool with a post for a back which her head was pushed against. The handcuffs were removed briefly, only for her hands to be handcuffed again around post the chair was up against

“What’s going on?” the prisoner protested.

“Orders” one of the guards replied curtly.

Then to her horror she felt them fastening some metal band around her throat, which was obviously connected to the post.

They had locked her into a Spanish style garrotte

The female prisoner expected them to start tightening it and thus strangle her to death, with the added possibility of a spike to sever her spinal column, but instead she heard the sound of the door closing as the two guards left.

“HEY” the female prisoner shouted, “Why am I here?”

There was no answer.

The female prisoner could not understand why she had been singled out for this rough treatment, there were other female murderers who were worse than her. In fact since her conviction two and a half years previously, she had lived the life of a model prisoner. The death of her half-brother had taken much the fight out of her. Her privileged job as a PA to a high powered industrialist, who happened to be her father had crumbled to dust, when she was convicted of being involved in his crimes of murder and high treason. To rub it in further, her father was considered dead and beyond justice, so she was effectively tried in his place, for all of his crimes, and the seeming injustice of that had caused her to lose some of the spirit she once had.

But that was not entirely why she had virtually given up, one thing constantly played on her mind, she had been mortally injured when she had been shot with an arrow, and then magically healed by a teenager who had once been her father’s new protégé but had swapped sides, after her father had betrayed her first. This strange teenager her father had taken on and then betrayed when she had out lived her usefulness had given this female prisoner a second chance at life.

Maybe it would have been better if she had allowed her to die by that arrow

All these experiences had caused her to give up hope of ever going free and trying to go against the system as some of the other prisoners tried; this was to be her lot.

What was the point in hope anyway, she had been told she would be here for the rest of her life, on one of the few whole life tariffs given out, such was the nature of the murders and treachery her industrialist father had carried out, to which she was considered a party to. Even her trial had been in secret, without a jury.

The female prisoner was now terrified, was she to be secretly executed at the behest of one of security services of some foreign government that her father had once penetrated? Was this treatment a prelude to rape and was that why she had been stripped of her clothes? Was she going to be executed?

The door opened.

Someone had entered the room, from the sound of the shoes on the floor, it seemed to be a man. The executioner?

“So you are human” the voice of the man muttered

“Why am I here?” the female prisoner asked.

“Janine Dobson” the man’s voice began, “Or shall I say Janine Sedlacek, a life prisoner at Holloway Prison will be found dead today, after hanging herself in her prison cell. This very machine will make it appear to be the way she died at autopsy, because unlike the Catalan version there is no messy spike. You will be strangled to death, just as if you had hanged yourself”

A cold fear went through the female prisoner, as this man knew her true Czech name as well as the name she had been tried under. Before her arrest she had used the name Dobson, as it was the family name of the couple who adopted her, when her natural mother’s “boyfriend” made her give her up for adoption.

“I thought we had abolished the death penalty in Britain” the female prisoner whispered

“We have” the man replied, before adding menacingly the word, “officially”

“So I’m to be executed then and it to be made to look like suicide” the female prisoner asked, her voice breaking with emotion.
“That’s the idea” the man replied menacingly before adding, “Don’t think you’re the first and you certainly won’t be the last we will do this to”.

Suddenly she felt his hand on her bare shoulder and flinched accordingly, expecting him to fondle her naked body further.

But No the man walked away slightly to behind her where lever would be on the garrotte

“Of course whether this happens this time is up to you” the man replied, “It could still be your body they will find hanging in your cell today, or maybe it could be some Jane Doe who nobody will miss, dressed in your clothes and passed off as you”

“I don’t understand?” the female prisoner whispered in terror

“You are in possession of certain knowledge that cannot be allowed ever to enter the mainstream” the man whispered into her ear, “As matter of national security you are a liability. If need be, I have the authority to personally terminate you right here and right now”

“So that’s why I am to be executed?” the female prisoner asked her voice raw with emotion, “Because you think I know too much?” she asked

“However” the man went on, “there are some who think you may be useful to us”

“I don’t understand?” the female prisoner uttered, barely audible at this time.

“Your father appears to have returned from the dead” the man volunteered, “He has certain plans which we need to be in on” the man continued, “And once we have them, we need him taken out, permanently”

The female prisoner did not reply, it seemed obvious this man was going to kill her, but if it were true that her father was back, how could he be killed? He was immortal, and why were they telling her this just before her execution.

“Your father knows you are serving a life sentence here at Holloway” the man went on, “Our sources tell us he now carrying out his plan to spring you from prison.”

“So that’s why I’m being executed today?” the female prisoner said with resignation in her voice, “so he doesn’t get a chance”.

“Not necessarily” The man replied, “We want him to think he is successful. He has been arranging for some woman of equal build to you to replace you as the corpse they discover in your cell. She may even still be alive for all we know. Once she is found dead, a number of prison officials have been either bribed or blackmailed to confirm her as you”

“You want me to go along with this?” the female prisoner asked with incredulity.

“Well he could be too late, and find that you have hanged yourself in your prison cell” the man said coldly.
The female prisoner heard a slight sound and then the band around her neck tightened and started to crush her throat. After a few seconds, which seemed like an eternity, the band was released.

“It’s your call Miss Sedlacek” the man told her, “I am quite happy with your father being emotionally destroyed that he failed to get you out before you allegedly committed suicide”

“You want my father dead” the female prisoner then asked

“Yes” the man answered back, “He caused a lot of embarrassment in certain places and betrayed quite a number people he worked for. You have one last chance, before I use this interesting contraption here to wring the very life out of you, right here and right now”

“Can I ask one question” the female prisoner asked

“What?” the man asked

“If I go along with what you want, can I be the one to kill that b*****d” the female prisoner spat out.

The female prisoner heard the man laugh and then pull out some keys.

Quickly he undid her handcuffs and removed the metal band from her neck.

“I’m so glad you have decided to work for us Miss Sedlacek” the man told her.

The female prisoner removed the blindfold and looked up at the man in his forties in a Barbour jacket.

“This other women?” the female prisoner asked, “Does she really have to die?”

“Someone does” the man replied as he handed her the keys to her shackles, “I’m afraid your father is still too powerful at the moment and if she survive and lets people know she is not you, well you get the picture”

The female prisoner bent down to undo the shackles around her legs, when she felt the man’s hand on the back of her neck giving a painful vice like grip. “Just remember Miss Sedlacek” he told her with further menace, “We own you, and you won’t be the first or last corpse found floating in the River Thames if you are not being straight with me, do you understand?”

“Yes you b*****d” she replied.

“I just needed to make sure you knew where you stood” the man replied as he held her neck in the vice like grip, “Now once you have left here, your father’s chauffer will meet you outside. You are to work for your father just like before, until we tell you when he is to be sanctioned, and not before. IS THAT CLEAR?”

“Yes” the female prisoner replied.

The man pushed her to the ground and walked over to the door. He took out a small radio. “We have a deal” he said into the radio, I’m afraid that young prostitute Sir Sidney captured will have to be hanged in Miss Sedlacek’s cell after all, just make sure the woman is sedated while you string her up with something that can’t be traced so she doesn’t attract attention. Oh and bring in a female prison warder’s uniform, especially as that young prostitute will be dressed in Miss Sedlacek clothes”

+ + +

Our Lady of La Salette and Saint Joseph Church
South London

(The present day)

Janine stared at the candle she had just lit for a moment, and then proceeded to light a second. “I’m so sorry Cindy” she whispered at the candle.

It was a ritual she had performed ever since she had got out of prison.

“You’re not supposed to have your phone switched off” a familiar male voice came from behind.

Janine Sedlacek turned around, it was Drake Matthews her commanding officer at the Entity Affairs Directorate.

This was a top secret division of the British security services, dedicated to dealing with the threat from any alien or entity that might threaten UK interests or any human who may be in on the secret that once there had been access to a place called the Mystical realms.

“Sorry Sir” Janine apologised, “I was just about to come back to the directorate sir, I always switch my phone off when I come into a church”
“Since when was a person like you religious?” Drake sneered
“My adopted parents were Roman Catholic Sir” Janine explained, “It’s something that always stays with you”
“Even when you know what’s out there?” Drake pressed
“I know how much people take their religion seriously sir” Janine answered, “I was showing them some respect”
”Well put it on silent then” Drake instructed Janine
“Yes Sir” Janine replied as she pulled out her cell phone and switched it on.

Drake looked at the candles Janine had lit, “Two candles?” he asked with a tone of incredulity

“Yeah” Janine replied, “One for Adrian and one for Cindy”

“Your half-brother and the prostitute who was hanged in your prison cell and passed off as you” Drake said coldly

“She had a two year old daughter sir” Janine replied insistently, “And I feel I took that little girl’s mother away”
“She would have been taken away from her mother sooner or later Miss Sedlacek” Drake said contemptuously, “Cindy was a prostitute who was also feeding coke habit, if I recall, that little girl is far better off with a social services foster home than with a mother like that. And” Drake pressed further, “if it weren’t for her, it would have been you in that make shift noose, and don’t you forget that”

“I don’t sir” Janine replied, “That’s why I light a candle for Cindy as well as for Adrian, and I also remember that it was my father’s idea to have her killed”

“And being a good catholic you are heavy into guilt” Drake sneered sarcastically

Janine paused, “Was there a reason you wanted me sir?” she asked her commanding officer.

“Yes, but not here” Drake replied, “It’s too public”

Drake pointed his thumb at the front doors of the church to order Janine to follow him and then he headed towards them himself.

Janine briefly looked up a statue of Mary

“Sorry” she whispered, somehow the knowledge that she had dispatched that evil father of hers who had arranged the murder of an innocent woman gave her no comfort, especially when it was that murder which had bought Janine her freedom.

“Now” Drake called out across the church from the door before he walked out of it.

Janine quickly came to her senses and followed her commanding officer out of the church, only catching up with him when she reached bottom of the steps.

Outside was Drake’s grey nondescript car, chosen to blend in with London traffic. Without comment Drake clicked on his remote to open the doors and motioned for Janine to get in the passenger seat, which she duly did.

Drake got in, closed the door, started the car and pulled into traffic without saying a word.

“What’s the problem sir?” Janine asked Drake

“They say it’s possible to lip read from CCTV” Drake replied with irritation, “I prefer to speak where we control the camera”

Janine was not sure if Drake was being serious or not and whether he was overly paranoid. Because they were part of an elite group that was cleared to kill innocent men women and children, should the need require it, to keep secret the existence of The Mystical Realms, their existence had to be kept secret, security was higher than members of the more conventional security services. Just in case, Janine she sat in silence, contemplating the women that was hanged in her prison cell in her place and whatever became of her two year old daughter. She had been surprised that there had never been reports of her going missing.

Drake drove the car further into South London, to the new base of operations for the Entity Affairs Directorate, or EAD. She had once learned from her father that the first base the British had, the old Inter Dimensional Entity Control, or IDEC, was in North London, because her father had used a complex web of shell companies to ensure all his enterprises were used to supply it. After all, how else did he learn the secret of the Mystical Realms?

Drake drove up to the main gate and showed his ID to the guard on duty, as did Janine.

“Clear to drive through the scanner” the guard instructed them

Slowly Drake drove his car through a specially constructed archway which blasted air through small holes. It’s job was to screen for explosives and was based on Airport security scanners.

From what Janine knew of the former base in North London, it had been destroyed by a lorry bomb. The EAD was determined that this would never happen again

Drake’s car checked out clean and it was allowed through the gate into the underground car park.

Still in a stony silence, Drake parked the car in his reserved space, near the door. Janine still wondered why her lunch break had been interrupted.

The two of them got out of the car and Drake locked it and they headed for the door.

Both held up their security passes before the door would open.

They walked into what seemed like a reception area which seemed deserted and all in white.

“Miss Sedlacek you have locker number five” came a female electronic voice from somewhere in the ceiling, “Mr Matthews you have locker number seven” it went on, “Please remove all items of clothing and jewellery and place them in the designated lockers”

Without thinking, both Janine and Drake stripped naked in front of each other and placed their clothing in the assigned lockers.

This was yet another security measure, to ensure that they were human and not IDE47’s as they were referred to, or more colloquially, doppelgangers the shape-shifters from the Mystical Realms who would work for hire as assassins. This security measure had been introduced because a previous technician at the old Inter Dimensional Entity Control UK facility had once collaborated with one.

The reason behind this measure was because Doppelgangers never wore any clothing, they always mimicked it, wearing anything was an anathema to that species. Only by completely undressing could you prove yourself to be human. Therefore, beyond this reception room, not one stitch of clothing from outside could be worn, and everyone working there accepted it.

Janine by now, was so used to stripping off in front of colleagues at the EAD, including Drake that she did instinctively not attempt to cover herself with her hands to preserve any perceived modesty, neither did her commanding officer Drake. The two of them seemed to have both learned to be comfortable with their shared nudity without it causing Drake certain obvious anatomical responses occurring, that Janine would occasionally observe in some of the younger and newer male members of staff

One time, Janine had gone into work with a new male technician. He had found it very embarrassing that they had to strip off in front of each other, but she had found it highly amusing. Her best laugh was when the male technician had a certain anatomical response to the situation she told him how his obvious embarrassment could be “cured” and offered her services to facilitate such a cure.

The demeanour of Drake when he had come for her at the church had blown any such frivolity away, if there had ever been any.

A door to a lift opened up as soon their clothing was locked away and Janine and Drake entered it.

“Identify Drake Matthews” Drake said out loud
“Identify Janine Sedlacek” Janine said as well

“Voice identifications confirmed” the lift voice said in a metallic male voice.

That response always made Janine relieved, if the voice identification was not made, then the lift would have been filled with a fast acting nerve agent, guaranteed to kill anyone and anything, including any inter dimensional entities

The lift started to descend.

Janine was still worried about what was wrong, but somehow it did not seem right to ask Drake what it was. He always preferred to keep people guessing and to brief people formally.

The lift came to a halt after about a minute and the door opened up.

A young woman of Chinese origin who was only wearing black panties and nothing else greeted them, carrying what looked like some kind of brownish garments over her right arm. “Smocks and flip-flops?” she asked Janine and Drake

Drake took a smock from the woman without saying a word and put it on. It was a simple and cheap smock with holes for the arms and his head and made entirely of paper so it could be ripped off if required. He then accepted the foam rubber flip-flop and placed them on his feet.

Janine shook her head, “I know you have to ask every time, but as I’ve said before I’m fine as I am Katrina, thanks anyway”

Janine never wore the smocks because she found that they scratched her and made her skin itch badly. The flip-flops likewise were a form of footwear she could never quite get used to.

Like Katrina, who had offered her the smock, and a number of others at the EAD, Janine elected to work completely naked rather than wear the smock, there was no other option. One observation Janine had once made about the smocks, was that most of those who wore them, were men. The odd female did wear them, but it was mostly if not all men who wore them, ”were these wimpish males shy about something?” Janine had once cheekily thought, but not today.

It might seem odd to outsiders that some in a top secret base might work in the nude, but after a while working at the EAD, people did not really notice that some were naked and some were not. It became a non-issue, and there were far more important things to worry about.

Of course the one other bonus of not wearing a smock, was Janine thought it helped convince the armed guards in the main control centre that she was not carrying anything concealed, the paranoia there was that intense given what had happened to the North London base!

“Ok Miss Sedlacek” Katrina smiled at Janine, “I knew you would say that, but as you say I have to ask you anyway”
“That’s ok Katrina” Janine replied, “I just love showing what a fantastic body I have just like yours”.
Katrina blushed and smiled and was about to turn around and walked away with the unused smock and flip-flops when Drake coughed loudly.

“That’s not regulation issue Miss Lee” Drake said sternly pointing to Katrina’s black panties
“But I thought it would be ok as it is my time of the month?” Katrina said nervously.
“You should know the drill about that” Drake said bluntly,” remove them and bin them now!”
“Sorry sir” Katrina apologised and quickly pulled off her panties and placed them in one of the few landfill bins that was situated next to the lift.

“Don’t let me catch you doing that again Miss Lee” Drake went on, “It’s smocks or nothing, IS THAT CLEAR?”

“Yes sir, sorry sir” Katrina said, visibly shocked and frightened by Drake’s tone of voice

Janine looked daggers briefly at Drake, as if that would do any good, was there any need for that, as Katrina was new, and was probably unfamiliar with the regulation sanitary products the female members of staff at the EAD were proscribed on grounds of hygiene. Janine though had to admit that Drake had a point, the threat from doppelgangers had been proved once before, and these extreme measures were there to save lives.

Katrina retreated, her head bowed as she went. Janine was not sure, but it looked like Katrina was on the verge of crying.

Drake then walked up to a computer terminal where the only naked man Janine could see at the EAD sat. This was Kevin and he dealt with the Sky-Guard satellite system which alerted the EAD to any intrusions from other parallel universes, either by magic orbs or artificial means. Kevin, like Katrina was relatively new was in his early to mid-twenties. Kevin was also like Janine, in that he too found that the paper smocks caused him skin irritation and had reluctantly elected to work naked.

“Can you put what you showed me earlier on the main screen please Mr Brown?” Drake asked

Kevin complied and a large screen in the front burst into life. It was a map of London.

“If you recall a month or so ago we picked up on Sky-Guard a penetration into our universe from what the Yanks used to call wormholes, or what in my opinion we should call, inter-universe gates.” Drake went on

“I remember that Sir” Janine cut in, “they found a dead homeless vagrant who had been shot”

“With a gun of an unknown calibre” Drake interrupted back

“Yeah and we had the scene sanitised if I recall to remove any traces of incursion” Janine cut back in, “only because we were able to arrive just before the police did thanks to Sky-Guard. I believe the police still have that one as an open investigation”

“That’s my understanding as well Miss Sedlacek. Well the report of the incursion came from Sky-Guard four to be precise” Drake went on, “Mr Brown” Drake then said to Kevin.

Kevin turned around on his swivel chair to face Janine and Drake. Janine noticed that Kevin had his hands instinctively classed over his private parts, he was obviously not yet used to working in the nude around other people.

“About two hours ago” Kevin nervously began, “We lost the feed from Sky-Guard Four”.

“What?” Janine asked, “How?”

Kevin turned back to his computer and pressed a few keys on his keyboard, “I hacked into the US Space command network” he explained, “I used their system to try and look at what happened to Sky-Guard Four and found that it was not there”

“Where’s it gone?” Janine asked as she walked up to Kevin’s chair and leaned in front of him to look at his screen, gently placing her hand on his bare shoulder without thinking.

“According to er Space command” Kevin replied in a hesitant tone as he tried to look up at Janine, past her obvious assets, “All that is er left, up there is a debris field. Someone or something has taken out Sky-Guard Four”

Janine sensed his nervousness and she then stood up so her obvious womanly assets would not be in his face and withdrew her hand, “Sorry” she whispered, realising she had technically violated the no physical contact rule that had been instigated because not everyone wore the notorious paper smocks.

“I need you to work with Mr Brown on the” Drake interrupted, “We have a serious hole in our coverage of this sector and we need to re-align the rest of the Sky-Guard network to deal with it and then we have to find out who took out Sky-Guard Four”

“What do you mean who?” Janine asked Drake, turning back to look at her commanding officer, “couldn’t be something like a micro meteor strike or even collision with space junk?”

“Mr Brown” Drake simply replied.

Janine turned back to look at Kevin, who had moved his chair closer to the computer so he was right up against it, his lower half hidden by the desk.

Obviously Kevin was not quite used to working in this environment, and like Janine unable to wear the paper smocks on offer. Janine suspected that a certain part of his body was reacting in an unfortunate manner. She was not sure if she should feel flattered that she could still turn some men on, as it were, or sorry for Kevin as he struggled to get used to working in these strange conditions that were deemed so vital to security at the EAD.

Kevin intently kept his eyes on his computer screen as he typed, trying, as Janine guessed to focus on his work and not on her naked body next to his.

The main screen changed to that of a website from the European Space Agency

“This is the website of Integral or the International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory” Kevin went on, “Someone on twitter mentioned that it had located some kind of anomaly in the region of where Sky-Guard Four was located”

“A wormhole” Janine, a cold shudder going down her spine.

“Someone has deliberately targeted Sky-Guard Four” Drake summarised, “We need to find out who and where from”

“I did a further analysis of what Integral detected”, Kevin went on, “It does not match the historical records concerning the magical orbs the trolls used”

“Meaning?” Janine asked

“Whatever opened that wormhole to take out Sky-Guard Four, used an artificially produced wormhole” Kevin explained, “which does not make sense if it were anyone from IDW01”

“Plus the radiation barrier between us and them blocking any direct connection would rule them out” Janine added. Janine thought for a moment, “Maybe it came from Aurelia, or IDW02 to give it, its classification on the old system” she suggested, “That world wasn’t blocked by the barrier, and it would make a stepping stone IDW01”

“That was how your father was going to reconnect Earth with IDW01”, Drake interjected, “But would mean taking one hell of a risk.” Janine responded, “That world orbits a red giant and is prone to solar flares. Unless you are deep within a cave system or have serious protection, when they hit, you’re dead”

“Why take out Sky-Guard Four” Kevin asked, “Why take such a risk so you could attack one of our satellites when you could easily use ASAT missiles”

“Maybe it was too high for an ASAT” Drake suggested

“There’s another possibility” Janine cut in, “I remember my father mentioning something from that alternate timeline he saw”

“You mean the one where Earth fell to that troll?” Drake asked inquisitively

Janine nodded

“What possibility?” Kevin interrupted

Janine looked back at Kevin as he twisted around in his chair so the desk continued to give the illusion of protecting his modesty. For an instant she felt like telling him that he had to get over his inhibitions about having to work naked, since he chose not to wear the smocks on offer, after all they were grown adults and had seen everything all before. Janine then remembered she too found working like that took some getting used to when she first found it impossible to wear the paper smocks, so she let this one go.

“What possibility?” Kevin repeated

“Sorry” Janine apologised, “The American IDEC lot were on the run in some kind of hover craft, the husband of that major spirit of virtue my father abducted, developed a way of using the artificial wormhole generator that Timothy Zachary developed to use it as a teleport so they could escape from a hovercraft to the island of South Georgia”

“I remember that” Drake replied, “it was the fall of Earth in the other timeline that gave the opponents of the US IDEC cause to shut it down and the justification for us here in the UK to start up the Entity Affairs Directorate”

“Still leaves the problem of why?” Janine mused

“Well let me work on that” Drake told Janine and Kevin, “I have a meeting to discuss this with someone from the Security Services Select committee in twenty minutes, so I have to leave you to the process of fixing that hole with our remaining satellites as soon as possible”

“We will need to reposition the entire network somehow without leaving any other gaps in coverage” Janine replied.

“That’s why I came and got you from that church Miss Sedlacek” Drake said dismissively, and then he approached Kevin.
“Can you stand up for a moment Mr Brown” he said in the same tone that he had spoken to Katrina about the unauthorised underwear she had been wearing.

Kevin nervously stood up, hands trying to preserve his modesty.

“Hands by your sides Mr Brown, now!” Drake instructed Kevin sharply.

Instantly Kevin complied, his face showed he was highly embarrassed.

“If you don’t like people seeing certain measly parts of your body Mr Brown” Drake reprimanded Kevin, “Then wear one of these” he added tugging on his own smock.

“But th-hey, they ma-make me come out in a rash sir” Kevin stuttered

“Well get used to working naked” Drake pressed home, “We have more important things to concern ourselves here than whether you consider the size of your manhood is pathetic or not. You trying to hide it with your hands just draws attention to it and is distracting to others. Don’t let me catch you doing that again. If you want to continue working here, it’s everything on show or wearing the smocks, got that?”

“Yes sir” Kevin replied.

Drake then turned around and headed back to the lift, where he removed his smock, placed it in a waste receptacle and entered the lift.

Kevin just stood there for a moment naked and stunned. As Janine had earlier observed, some of the female workers at the EAD who chose to work naked rather than wear the paper smocks probably did so because they wanted to show off their bodies. Kevin on the other hand was one of those, like her who genuinely had an issue with the smocks irritating their skin. However unlike Kevin, Janine was more like the other female colleagues in that she was remarkably comfortable with her semi-enforced nudity.

Janine walked right up to Kevin and momentarily held his arms with her hands and looked down his torso and then up at his face. “You’ve got a lovely manhood, much better than his” Janine whispered to Kevin, “I would love to cop a feel, in fact, maybe later you could treat me to a sample of it” she cheekily added hoping to instil some confidence in Kevin, and I can let you play with these” she added as she lightly held her womanly assets.

Kevin gulped and went red, Janine could not help but notice that her “offer” was having a certain effect on poor Kevin. Janine realised she need to be careful, lest she be hauled over the coals for sexual harassment.

“Sorry” Janine quickly apologised, “I didn’t mean for you to be embarrassed. Let’s just try and realign the Sky-Guard net for now” Janine suggested.

“Er right” Kevin replied and sat back down on his chair at his computer and pulled the chair right up to the desk, in an effort to hide his embarrassment.

Janine pulled up a chair from an unoccupied computer terminal, so she was sitting with Kevin at his computer terminal.

Kevin did his best to ignore Janine’s womanly assets as he concentrated on the job in hand. Kevin moved his mouse to call up on the screen a schematic of the Earth with little red dots, symbolising the various Sky-Guard satellites.

“How about moving Sky-Guard Six so it covers some of Southern Africa as well as South America, that way we can move Sky-Guard Two north of the Equator to reach Northern Europe.” Kevin nervously suggested.

Janine shook her head, “Sky-Guard Six was placed there because that was where those Columbian drug dealers used that orb to carry out their drug running into IDW01” she explained, “I would move Sky-Guard Five north from where it covers India and the Middle East, then we can move Sky-Guard Eight west from covering Russia to get it to cover northern Europe. Sky Guard Seven can be moved East a few degrees, after all Sky-Guard one gives decent coverage of the Pacific from where it monitors North America”

Kevin thought for a moment, “That might work” he muttered

“How long would it take to reposition the network?” Janine asked

“Once I program in the co-ordinates, which will take about an hour, with the satellite’s ion engines we are looking at a flight time of sixteen hours at the earliest to get repositioned” Kevin answered

“And during that time they will be unable to detect incoming or outgoing wormholes” Janine asked

“Afraid so” Kevin replied, “We could just move one at a time, but that could take days”
“We can’t afford a hole in the net to exist for that length of time” Janine sighed, “I’ll help with the orbital transfers, so we can get this done as soon as possible, then maybe we could go for coffee once they are on their way!

“Oh” Kevin replied

“Topside” Janine suggested, “So you can be fully clothed if you like, or in the canteen if you want to show off to me what a manly body you have and maybe we could possibly share more than just coffee” she gently teased

“Topside would be good” Kevin replied nervously.

+ + +

MI6 Building
London, England

The official driver dropped Drake off outside the MI6 building.

“I’ll call when I need to get back to the Directorate” Drake told the driver. The driver nodded and drove off.

Drake headed off towards the main door and displayed his security pass to the security guard on the door. “Drake Matthews to see the Sir Andrew Kneller MP” he said gruffly

The security guard nodded and let him through the doors and Drake approached reception. Again Drake stated his business and the receptionist informed him that that particular person had not yet arrived due to parliamentary business.

“Great!” Drake exclaimed, “Parliamentary business my a**e, I bust a gut getting here, and he can’t be bothered to tear himself away from the House of Commons bar on time”

“I’m afraid the new parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Defence wanted to pay a visit” the receptionist replied curtly.

“Is he insane?” Drake asked, “The whole point of going through the select committee was to ensure the PM had plausible deniability”
“She!” the receptionist corrected, “The old one went in the recent reshuffle”

Drake shook his head in disbelief, one politician from a select committee was bad enough, but a member of the government a problem. The EAD had to operate in grey areas, if not in violation of the law to protect the secret that parallel worlds existed and there were creatures in the UK which had serious powers that posed a threat. At least Sir Andrew Kneller MP understood all this; after all he was a former MI6 handler who had once run espionage operations in Bulgaria when he had been a military attaché to the British embassy in that country. A government minister, no matter how junior, might very well get in the way of what need to be done.

+ + +

An abandoned factory
Somewhere in London
(Sometime later)

A stray cat prowled through the remains of the factory hunting for its next meal.

There was a strange high pitched noise and a sudden wind.

It looked up and saw a dot forming in mid-air and becoming a swirling vortex. The cat did not need to be told that this was not good and instantly ran with all its might out of the factory, leaving the vortex to grow.

After a minute the green vortex was fully grown and out stepped two humanoid figures, one a troll and one an elf. They were accompanied by another humanoid figure that was grey and tall, and with a strange collar around its neck.

“So this is the other world of the despicable humans” the elf sneered
“Indeed it is Callum” the troll replied, “our leader Padow, the Lord High Troll yet again proved himself a genius in finding it”
“I cannot wait until every last human is dead” the elf said in revulsion, “especially after what they did to my family with their infernal magic”
“But this world of humans like us chose the route of science and technology” the troll went on, “which is why Padow believes they will have the key to the destruction of all humans on every world that we find them infesting”
“Including this one” the elf said with venom
“Of course” the troll spat back, “Humans are vermin where ever they breed, vermin that must be exterminated”

“But why on this world” the large grey figure pleaded, “These humans have not been involved in your war”

Suddenly the grey figure collapsed in agony clutching the collar

“Who asked you to speak, you miserable doppelganger human loving scum” the troll shouted with venom as he held a small black box, “any more of your lip and we will detonate that collar which will detonate the collars of your wife, son and daughter back home”

The troll then handed the box over to the elf, “Make sure this shape-shifter behaves and knows who they serve” the troll angrily told the elf.

“Of course” the elf replied and then to make a point pressed another button on the box that made the doppelganger scream in agony. The elf watched the doppelganger writhe in pain on the ground and smiled. “These human loving creatures have to be put in their place.” The elf added

“I have to return to the Manjura Empire to attend our Lord High Troll” the troll told the elf

“I understand General Strang” the elf replied, “So what is this weapon that Lord Padow has discovered these humans have”

The troll grinned, and pulled out a sheaf of papers that had been stapled together, “During our last excursion here Lord Padow used his portable computer to pull down a number of possible weapons we may use from the humans own version of electronic space. I believe they call it Cyber space”

The elf took the piece of paper, and looked at it, “It’s a section the history of these infernal creatures on this world” Then the elf looked closer at the print out, “I can see why Padow is leader of the Manjura Empire, this is a work of genius, and those humans will not know what hit them”

“Make sure victory is ours” The troll said to the elf aggressively. Then the troll turned to the grey figure that was still on the ground. “And remember Shape-Shifter” the troll growled, “remember who your masters are”

The grey figure looked up at the troll in terror, he was being forced to take part in something with every fibre of it’s being he knew was wrong and a crime against sentient life, but if he did not comply, it would be his family as well as his own life that would be at risk”

“As I said Callum, I must return” the troll told the elf, “From the empire we will ensure that these humans will not be able to track you or anyone else we may send, like the humans here almost did when Lord Padow first came here”

“I thought you had already taken care of that device the humans had in orbit around this world” the elf said with an air of confusion.

“That was just for this region” the troll replied, “The device that Lord Padow left on his second incursion here indicated that they have other tracking devices orbiting around this world. They still pose a threat to the mission and we must deal with them all if we are to be victorious”

With that the troll walked back into the vortex and seconds later, the vortex was gone.

“Get up” The elf shouted at the grey figure, “You saw the picture of the dead Human from this world that Lord Padow exterminated, now change!” the elf ordered.

Slowly the grey figure morphed into the shape of a human male in his late fifties in shabby clothing.

+ + +

MI6 Building
London, England

“Sir Andrew, Minister” Drake said through gritted teeth as Sir Andrew MP and the Julie Osborne MP, the parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Defence, arrived.

Drake was not looking forward to this as he had heard that this new minister had once worked with the Chief Secretary to the treasury where she was a notorious bean counter before moving to the whips office, prior to her move to the Ministry of Defence.

“Well Mr Matthews” Julie replied, “My right Honourable friend here was briefing me on that secret organisation you work for”

“With all due respect Minister” Drake replied, “I would rather discuss it in private as not everyone in this building is security cleared to be read in on it”

“Of course” Julie replied, “I quite understand”

“Our usual room Drake” Sir Andrew asked

Drake turned to the receptionist who instantly knew the answer.

“Your usual briefing room is ready sir” the receptionist replied, “I just need the parliamentary under-secretary of state to sign in along with Sir Andrew” she added pushing forward a large black book.

Drake then waited impatiently while the meddlesome parliamentary under-secretary of state took her time signing in and obtaining a visitor’s pass. Sir Andrew, like Drake had a permanent one, which usually speeded things up.

Finally she was signed in and they headed off to a private office away from prying ears

Drake closed the door and took out a small black box and pulled out an aerial and switched it on. After a few seconds a green light came on.

Drake collapsed the aerial and put the box in his pocket

“You’re not seriously thinking that MI6 would bug this room?” Julie asked with incredulity

“A standard measure” Drake replied abruptly.

“He does it every time Minister” Sir Andrew told the parliamentary under-secretary of state, “Given what happened over four years ago at The Facility”

“What facility?” Julie asked, “What happened”

“It was the forerunner of the Entity Affairs Directorate” Sir Andrew explained, “It was destroyed by a lorry bomb by an extremist group from what some called IDW01 and others The Mystical Realms.

Drake just sighed, [i]How come this parliamentary under-secretary of state was not briefed on the facility so they had to waste time explaining about it, if she insisted on sitting in on an important and urgent meeting[i]

“I see” was Julie’s only response

The three of them then sat down around a table

“Will they be providing teas and coffees?” Julie asked.

Drake mentally rolled his eyes, “No minister, we never usually bother and also it helps keeps the hospitality budget down and reduces public spending, which I believe is government policy?” Drake turned to Sir Andrew, “Sir Andrew” he began but was interrupted by the parliamentary under-secretary of state yet again!

“Mr Matthews” Julie began, “From the little briefing I have had since the reshuffle, I find your organisation very odd and I am not sure if it provides value for money for the tax payer. In some aspects, I am not sure it would pass what one of the Pea-Pea-Esses called the Daily Mail Test”

This time it was Drake’s turn to looked confused, “Daily Mail Test?” he questioned

“It means would we get a bad headline in the Daily Mail” Sir Andrew cut in, “I do find it so tawdry Minister that we have to worry what cheap down market tabloids think”

“Never the less Sir Andrew” Julie persisted, “It is a good bellwether as to how the electorate are viewing government and public spending and it is them we are accountable to”

Drake sighed, “Minister” he began, “We have proved that there are other universes which have intelligent life. We have established that some of the entities from those worlds have abilities which could allow them to threaten our national security, in fact when the Americans took charge of our predecessor organisation, not only did we lose the Facility with great loss of life, but in an alternate timeline, which incidentally they could only fix by dealing with a former dictator of IDW01, this whole world was conquered and enslaved by hostile entities from IDW01. Our mission, Minister, is to prevent that happening again”

“Yes I got that briefing from my predecessor’s PPS” Julie replied dismissively, “But I thought that the direct link to The Mystical Realms was severed, so why do we need this Entity Affairs Directorate?”

“I’ll field this one” Sir Andrew cut in before Drake could respond, “Minister, the Entity Affairs Directorate contains people with vital skills in one place needed to counter such a potential threat from other parallel universes, and with respect to that link to IDW01 being severed, as Mr Matthews can tell you, it still can in theory be reached by those entities or by rouge states here on Earth”

“An industrialist and former MI5 officer by the name of Sir Sidney Gerald discovered a way around the radiation barrier Minister” Drake told Julie, “If he has found a way, then most likely someone else will have done the same and we need to be ready”

Julie glowered, so it seemed at Drake before speaking again, “There is one other thing about your organisation that might not pass the Daily Mail test” the parliamentary under-secretary went on, “I here when you are in your secret base you all strip off naked. What if that got out to the tabloids?”

Drake shook his head at how petty this politician was becoming.

“Is it true?” Julie persisted

“Minister” Drake replied in a weary tone, “That is a misrepresentation of a vital security measure we have to have at the EAD. Some years ago, our predecessor organisation the Inter Denominational Entity Control, or IDEC, was penetrated by an IDE47”

“A what?” Julie interrupted

“A doppelganger” Drake explained, “A shape-shifter with great strength that could change its appearance to appear like one of us, this IDE47 killed a number of IDEC personnel in a bid to kill its way up the chain of command by replacing those it killed. As IDE47s never wear clothes themselves but mimic them, to ensure that we are not penetrated again, every employee must remove all clothing on entering the complex on camera and place it in a secure locker. That is the first check that they are human. They then take a lift, and yes they are naked, down to the operation centre. The cameras in the lift can photograph body hair, something these creatures have trouble mimicking.”

“So you do work naked?” Julie accused

Drake gave the parliamentary under-secretary a momentary cold stare before continuing, “When they get to the command centre, they are offered a cheap paper smock, which is sufficient to cover staff, and low cost footwear to wear as temporary clothing.”

“No underwear?” Julie interrupted

“No minister” Drake wearily continued, “It was considered too expensive and not cost effective, anyway, the smocks have to be paper so if there is a drill or a suspected IDE47 infiltration, employees can rip off the smocks, if challenged to show they are human. The working naked part you may have heard about is because there are some individuals who claim that they have bad skin reactions to the paper clothing and elect not to wear them. As I explained, from previous experience with doppelgangers, an attempt to mimic a naked human would not be as successful, so personnel working naked as you put it is one way, all be it extreme of protecting against infiltration”

“Why not offer hypoallergenic clothing to those with problems with the paper clothes” Julie asked

“Cost again” Drake replied, “We looked at it, but as each garment is discarded when an employee finishes their shift, it was deemed that it was too costly, plus the hypoallergenic material does not tear as effectively as paper, which could mean a security issue. That, Minister, would not be good value for money for the tax payer would it? Besides Minister, they are all adults and all professionals, plus we have a no physical contact policy and nobody has ever been caught in flagrante. They all just get on with their jobs”

“If that is the case with your staff, that they are the epitome of restraint, that is very commendable Mr Matthews, but as a minister with some nominal responsibility over this agency, I would like some alternative explored” Julie responded, “You may have a good reason for how you operate and as you say clear rules and codes of conduct, but we have to consider the political realities of how things might look, should they ever come to light”

Drake could not believe this minister, this top secret organisation which theoretically had authority to kill innocent men, women and children to keep secret the existence of certain parallel universes in the aid of National Security and all this minister was worried about was what the personnel may or may not wear when on duty at the EAD

There was a long stony silence, before Sir Andrew broke it, “Minister we did explore the issue of protecting against doppelganger infiltration a while back when this issue came to light, but we can explore it again in committee, assuming you can get us more resources during the next public spending round, but I think Mr Matthews here called this meeting to discuss other issues that are more pressing?”

“Quite”, Drake replied, “Someone seems to have taken out Sky-Guard Four”

“What do you mean taken out?” Sir Andrew replied

Before he could answer the parliamentary under-secretary jumped in, “Excuse me, what is Sky-Guard Four” she asked

“It is part of the Sky-Guard satellite surveillance grid” Drake explained, “It was originally launched to monitor one of the nuclear test ban treaties, but we took it over when it was discovered that it could also detect intrusions from alternative universes, the main one at the time being IDW01. If an entity used one of their devices to enter our world, we can detect it, track it and co-ordinate an armed response”

“How did they take it out Drake?” Sir Andrew asked, “It’s too high up, even for the Chinese ASAT program let alone the Russian one”
“Preliminary findings indicate that someone used artificial means to open a gateway next to the satellite to detonate an explosive device next to it” Drake answered

“I thought people travelled to and from the Mystical Realms using magic orbs” Julie interjected, “At least that is what my predecessor told me”

“Some years ago” Drake responded with an air of resignation, “As an unofficial black project an employee of the old IDEC UK reversed engineered a captured dimension jump orb and created artificial devices to travel to and from IDW01, and later from IDW02. Data collected covertly from ESA’s Integral satellite, the International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory shows the distinctive pattern of an artificial device rather than a magic one being used to deliver the device that took out Sky-Guard Four”

“This is serious” Sir Andrew said shaking his head, “Which area did Sky-Guard Four cover?”
“The whole of northern Europe Sir Andrew”

“If I recall there were two countries that were known to have that capability, and we were one of them” Sir Andrew said to Drake and Julie
“Who was the other one?” Julie asked
“America” Drake replied without much thought

“Are you seriously saying the Americans, our partners in the Special Relationship, have done this?” Julie asked with obvious incredulity in her voice

“I wouldn’t thought so” Sir Andrew replied, “given the way the current administration over there turned on those who worked in the IDEC and the half breed entities that they claim to have converted to being fully human, thus neutralising any powers they may have had”

“There are always the Russians” Drake cut in, “They had some kind of treaty with the Drow before the worlds were separated.” Then to clarify for the sake of the parliamentary under-secretary, “They were a kind of dark elf and sworn enemy of the elves”

“So where do we go from here?” Julie asked

“I suggest” Drake went on, “We investigate a possible Russian involvement, meanwhile my people are working on realigning the Sky-Guard network to resume some cover over Northern Europe. Whatever the people who did this are up to, they knew of Sky-Guard and do not want their activities in this sector monitored”

Julie thought for a moment, “You said the Sky-Guard network came out of monitoring nuclear test ban violations, could this be related to that?”

Drake shook his head as did Sir Andrew,
“The countries covered by Sky-Guard four already have the bomb or go on about how they refuse to have it” Sir Andrew answered, “Besides there is also no suitable place in Northern Europe to test a nuclear weapon”
“Plus” Drake added in, “Whoever did this, definitely use the same technology that was used for crossing between Earth and IDW01”

+ + +

The Entity Affairs Directorate
South London, England

The setting of the trajectories for the remaining Sky-Guard satellites proved far more complicated then Janine and Kevin first thought. They had to take into account that the network had to remain as hidden as possible from the general populace.

“That’s all programmed” Kevin told Janine, “It just needs to be” he added before stopping

After a few seconds announced quietly, “We have lost contact with Sky-Guard Seven”

Janine looked at the monitor and saw the red flashing icon of where the Satellite should have been.

Just then another Sky-Guard satellite showed signs that contact was broken.

Now three, no four, no five Sky-Guards were going off line.

Quickly Kevin hacked into the Integral probe’s live feed and pulled up the details of gamma emissions from where the satellites had been. Like Sky-Guard four, they had a certain tell-tale signature to his and Janine’s horror; this tell-tale signature indicated the presence of the kind of gamma radiation that accompanied wormholes that had been artificially created.

“It’s like the whole of the Sky-Guard system is being taken out” Kevin whispered.

“Get US Space command online” Janine ordered

Kevin quickly complied and used the American system to scan the area where the various Sky-Guard satellites had been.

Radar images showed debris where the Sky-Guard satellites had been.

“We only have two Sky-Guard satellite’s left one and two” Janine told Kevin, “Remember last month’s software upgrade, We only have one chance at this, we need to get them looking at one another fast, they are just in position, I’ll do two, you do one”

Quickly Kevin programmed one terminal whilst Janine programmed the other.

Just in time!

The feed from Sky-Guard Two ended as Sky-Guard one confirmed an artificial wormhole, right next to Sky-Guard Two.”

“The new software will give the co-ordinates of where that wormhole came from” Kevin announced, just before the feed from Sky-Guard One cut out.
“I know” Janine replied, “I worked on that software with Drake”

Kevin put the originating co-ordinates up on his computer screen before running an analyser program on them.

“If they are using wormholes as teleports” Janine commented, “Like those Yanks did in the alternate time line, it will point to somewhere on Earth and we will have them”

The computer processed the co-ordinates and displayed the result.

Both Janine and Kevin peered at them in incomprehension, they were not coming from Earth at all like Janine had suspected

“They seem to be coming from a whole new universe” Kevin said with utter astonishment, “and if they have created artificial means to enter into this one that could mean it’s a technological universe like ours. And if that’s the case then their taking out of Sky-Guard, could be the prelude to invasion”
“Or there’s another possibility Kevin” Janine replied
“Like what?” Kevin asked

“They say in that alternate timeline” Janine explained in a quiet voice “that troll Brameana tried to provoke a nuclear war between America and Russia by detonating nuclear weapons in America and a number of western cities. Those satellites” she went on, “were originally designed to monitor illegal nuclear weapons tests. Assuming it is another universe Kevin, then this could be another attempt to get us to blow ourselves up, prior to invasion”

To be continued

[Sticks]

Episode II– Incursions

Spoiler:

They say it is not over until the fat lady sings, and some have attributed this saying to an opera singer, some to a sports commentator. Another expression is “that it is not over until it’s over”

The meaning is clear, do not assume things are set until the final results are in, and yet there is another saying which might be seen to contradict this, which is “The writing’s on the wall” which comes from the events recorded in the Book of Daniel, in the Bible, when Belshazzar’s doom was pronounced by a large finger writing on a wall during the middle of a sacrilegious feast.

To those at the recently reconstituted Entity Affairs Directorate this phrase seems more apt as they witness the entire Sky-Guard Satellite system that detects anyone travelling between parallel universes, such as The Mystical Realms, being destroyed by unknown entities using artificial wormhole generators. Could this be a prelude to an invasion or worse?

+ + +

MI6 Building
London, England

Drake Matthews was singularly focused as he headed for reception and from there the exit, he needed to get to the Entity Affairs Directorate as soon as possible, even if it did mean walking out on a government minister and the chairman of the Security Services Select committee.

(At least he would understand unlike the government minister)

Drake reached the front desk, “I have a driver coming to pick me up” he told the guard on reception, “Has he showed up”

“A number of official drivers and couriers come by sir” the guard replied, “Where is this one coming from”

“I’m sorry” Drake replied bluntly, “You are not permitted to know that, it’s classified. The driver will just tell you he is here for me”

“Yes of course Sir” the guard replied.

It was obvious to Drake that the guard had not taken offence at this, especially as a number of people here had to deal with highly classified material, so secrecy was second nature.

Just then Julie Osborne MP arrived, closely followed by Sir Andrew Kneller MP

“Mr Matthews” Julies complained, “I find this highly irregular and a bit discourteous. Most people I know of switch their mobiles off when they are in a meeting with me”

“I don’t think you understand the gravity of a Red Alpha alert” Drake snapped back.

“Oh my G_d” Sir Andrew replied as the colour drained from his face. Like Drake he too knew the implications of that alert status

“What?” Julie replied

“I’m afraid minister” Sir Andrew went on in a low voice, “For them this is almost like the equivalent of the American’s Def-Con One”

“Do we need to call out the army?” Julie asked

“I will know that when I get back to you know where” Drake responded, glancing at the security guard, “All they are permitted to do is declare the alert, the nature of it cannot be declared over an unsecure channel”

“Right” Julie replied, “Do you need us to come with you?” Julie then asked
“With all due respect minister” Sir Andrew interrupted, “We would just get in the way”

“Mr Matthews” the guard called out, “Your driver is just outside”

With that Drake went through the door at great speed and was gone.

“What do you think we should be doing Sir Andrew” Julie then asked
“We go back to our offices and wait and pray” Sir Andrew replied.

+ + +

Docklands Light Railway
London

The hooded figure dragged and elderly looking man onto the platform and then onto a train that had come into the station.

This one was headed for the centre of London and seemed quite crowded.

“Not one word” the hooded figure growled to the elderly man and showed him a small black box with his thumb on one of the buttons.

The elderly figure looked at the box in terror and kept silent, there was no way out of what he was being forced to do. The hooded figure placed the black box in his pocket made it clear to the elderly figure that it was very much still in reach.

The train started and the two figures stood in the carriage, as the seats were taken by other passengers.

The two of them did not utter any further words.

“Where are you travelling to” a male voice behind asked after about a minute into the journey.

“Who needs to know?” the hooded figure replied menacingly

“We are collecting passenger data on this service on behalf of Transport for London” the male voice replied, “To see what improvements can be made”

Slowly the hooded figure turned, still holding onto the elderly figure and looked at the data collector, “We are going to Bank if you must know” he replied

“Er” the Data collector asked nervously, “Do you expect to take any further trains or buses”

“Yes” the hooded figure replied, “My associate and I are travelling on your Underground system to the place known as Goodge Street”

“You will need to change onto the Northern line at Tottenham Court Road” the data collector ventured.

There was something about this hooded figure that seemed unsettling to the data collector, especially the way he held the arm of the elderly man, but given stories he had heard about rail staff being attacked, he just entered the data and moved on to another passenger.

“The sooner this vermin is expunged the better” the hooded figure quietly growled at the elderly figure.

There was an electronic beeping sound from the pocket of the hooded figure, so with his free hand, he pulled out a simple pay as you go mobile phone and looked at it.

A text message had arrived.

“So” the hooded figure muttered, “The Manjura technicians have back traced those who were using the orbital tracking devices and hope to neutralise that threat within the day. Very considerate of them, if somewhat unnecessary, so we shall see”

The elderly figure shook his head slightly, trying not to show distress at what the hooded figure had said, but it was still noticeable by the hooded figure.

Quickly the hooded figure replaced the mobile phone in his pocket and brought out a black box with a number of buttons on it.

“Not one word or they get it, you scum” the hooded figure whispered into the ear of the elderly figure.

The hooded figure then noticed that an elderly woman who was seated was looking at him with a sense of disgust.

“What are you looking at” the hooded figure challenged the woman

“That’s no way to treat an old man” she retorted.

The hooded figure so wanted to kill this woman where she sat, for speaking to him in that disrespectful way, but that would attract unwelcome attention and the mission was far too important. “He has dementia” the hooded figure growled, “We have to be firm with him, if you must pry”

“Well I must say that standards of nursing were a lot more different in my day” the woman replied.

“Well it’s not your day is it” the hooded figure growled at her, “And you know nothing about this patient and so you have no right or place to pass comment on his care”

+ + +

Driving through
South London Traffic

Drake sat in the front passenger seat talking on his mobile as the driver made his way through traffic to the Entity Affair Directorate in South London.

“I got the alert, have you instituted a strip down alert?” Drake asked into the mobile

The other end of the line answered in the affirmative to let him know that everyone had en mass removed all smocks and coverings, just to prove that they were human and not the feared doppelgangers that once killed a number of people at the old North London IDEC UK facility.

The voice on the end of the phone then wanted to tell Drake the nature of the emergency, but Drake interrupted them.

“Do not tell me over this channel” Drake ordered, “I repeat, do not tell me over this channel, it’s not secure enough”

Drake then hung up.

“Do you know what this is about?” Drake then asked the driver
“No sir, sorry sir” the driver replied, “I was just told to collect you sir”

“Good” Drake retorted, “I’m glad at least someone is up on security protocols”

The car continued on through the traffic as both Drake and the driver maintained a tense silence, after all, who knew who could be observing them with the latest lip reading software?

It seemed to Drake that every light was against them, as it was always the way when trying to get somewhere in an emergency.

At least it got him away from that meddling minister who was more interested that some EAD personnel worked naked than a major satellite had been destroyed by forces unknown, using artificial wormhole technology.

Now if only these pesky traffic lights weren’t always on red

+ + +

The Entity Affairs Directorate
South London, England

Janine and Kevin entered the lift to the surface levels

Immediately the electronic voice in the lift demanded that they identify themselves

“Identify Janine Sedlacek” Janine replied
“Identify Kevin Malcolm” Kevin answered back

“Voice identifications confirmed” the lift voice said in a metallic male voice.

Again Janine felt relieved that the system was not going to kill them with a nerve agent and the lift started to ascend

“I don’t think we should get dressed” Janine told Kevin, “Not much point if we are going back straight back down again”

“But I thought we were going to wait outside for Mr Matthews?” Kevin asked
“We are” Janine replied
“So you want me to wait outside, naked?” Kevin replied with a shocked expression

“Well you can get dressed Kevin if you must” Janine replied, “I’m not, and if the guards see me in the nude, where’s the harm, I don’t begrudge them a look, with the hours and the pay they get, they deserve a treat from time to time”

“Won’t you get cold?” Kevin asked

Janine chose not to answer as the lift doors opened.

“Miss Sedlacek retrieving your locker” came the female electronic voice from somewhere in the ceiling, “Mr Brown retrieving your locker” it continued

“Cancel my locker retrieval at this time” Janine called out, “Authorisation Jay Ess fourteen”

“Miss Sedlacek Locker retrieval cancelled” the female electronic voice called out and then added, “Mr Brown locker retrieval cancelled”

“Oh great” whined Kevin

“Sorry about that Kevin” Janine apologised, “looks like there is a bug that IT needs to have a look at”

“May I have my locker” Kevin called out

“Locker retrieval for Mr Brown cannot be actioned at this time” the female electronic voice replied, “authorisation required from a senior officer for recovery of designated locker”

“Martha” Janine called out, “does both my locker and Mr Brown’s locker have to be retrieved at the same time?”

“Lockers for all personnel entering reception from the lift must be retrieved unless cancellation code is authorised” the female electronic voice replied.

Janine frowned, “Can just one locker be retrieved?” she pressed

“Lockers for all personnel entering reception from the lift must be retrieved unless cancellation code is authorised” the female electronic voice repeated.

Janine shook her head, she would have to get IT to look at that glitch, especially as it could also happen, should they ever have to escort visitors to and from the EAD

“Well Kevin” it looks like we will both be meeting Mr Mathews in our birthday suits then” Janine teased

Kevin had a look of horror on his face at the thought of going outside naked. Inside for him was bad enough, but outside?

Janine gently caressed Kevin’s hairy chest with her right hand, starting at the top and going down to his naval. She noticed the effect this caressing was happening on her male colleague and grinned.

“Well” Janine said with a cheeky grin, “If you worried that the guards will see your, you know what, I know a good place to hide it”

Kevin gulped, it was clear he would go along with having to meet the head of the Entity Affairs Directorate in the altogether, but he was not happy, plus Drake might have a dim view of Janine doing this to him, given how hot he was on the official no touching policy.

A policy if truth be told, that a number of fellow workers often violated on the sly by mutual consent to relieve the sexual tension that sometimes arose from working the way they did either in the nude, or close to it

“Ok” Janine called out, “Retrieve lockers for Miss Sedlacek and Mr Brown authorisation Jay Ess fourteen”

Two small doors opened and the female electronic voice called out, “lockers retrieved”

Kevin eagerly pulled out his clothes and got dressed; Janine pulled out her clothes and reluctantly got dressed. Janine had often fantasised about going outside of reception into the outside world naked to give the security guards an eyeful, and once again, this time due to a programming glitch, it would remain just another fantasy. The other reason for her reluctance over putting her clothes back on at this point was because it seemed so pointless. As soon as Drake arrived she would have to remove them again when they went down to the control centre.

Kevin and Janine went outside into the open air to wait for Drake to arrive.

“He’s not going to be happy that the entire grid is down” Kevin muttered
“That’s an understatement if ever I heard one” Janine replied. After a few seconds added, “Did you know that Drake originally interviewed for head of the old IDEC UK”

“That was run by Mr Blue before the Americans took over?” Kevin asked.

Janine did not reply. Why should she, this had been common knowledge at the EAD especially as there were a few old hands who still felt that Mr Blue got a raw deal and had been let down by the politicians just because a half breed inter-dimensional entity he interrogated personally happened to have a biological father who was some kind of Irish war hero.

What these old hands failed to remember was how Mr Blue had been secretly in league with a major spirit of vice who insisted on claiming to be the ancient Egyptian god Set, but that was by the bye

After about ten minutes or so, they could see Drake’s car approaching the main front gate. The two watched as the car passed the gate and then through the explosives scanner.

Suddenly a loud klaxon sounded

This was not the same as the one they had had to trigger when it had become clear that all the satellites in the Skyguard system had been destroyed by agents from another universe. This was one that was triggered by the detection of unexpected wormholes appearing in the EAD itself, whether magic or not. As a result, it’s sounding was chilling, was this the invasion that was to follow the destruction of Sky-Guard?

Drake virtually leapt out of his car and unholstered his nine millimetre automatic and approached Janine and Kevin. There were also the sounds of armed guards approaching the compound.

“What the heck is going on?” Drake shouted above the noise of the alarm.

“That alarm has just gone off sir” Janine replied, “I have no idea what has set it off”
“Is this related to the Red Alpha alert you sent me?” Drake enquired

“I don’t know” Janine answered, “We certainly didn’t trigger that one”

“We sent the Red Alpha alert because” Kevin tried to begin before Drake motioned for him to shut up
“Not out here” Drake growled, “people with long lenses can read lips”

Drake then pushed past them and headed for the main front door of the building.

The doors remained closed and locked shut.

Drake found a door entry system and keypad to the right of the door and with one hand covering the other punched in a secret code.

“Access restricted due to inter dimensional intrusion” the same female electronic voice that had sounded in reception said in an expressionless voice.

“Has diversion protocol three seven five been enacted” Drake interrogated the door entry system.

“Protocols three seven five and four two one have enacted” the electronic voice replied, “Command centre still has not been secured”

“Meaning something got out before the wormhole could be deflected” Drake muttered, “Somebody has messed up, because nothing should have got through”

By now a number of armed guards were also waiting outside the main entrance.

“Can you get a feed down there?” Drake asked one of the guards who was holding a small radio

“Still trying sir” the guard replied and went back to trying to raise someone on the other end.

“Not on my watch” Drake muttered angrily, “Not this time”

Janine guessed that her boss must be referring to the tragedy that befell the previous organisation that dealt with inter dimensional entities, The Facility in North London when scores of people were killed when a lorry bomb exploded in its underground car park, triggered by an authorised incoming wormhole.

Suddenly a reply came over the radio, but Janine could not quite catch it.

Drake punched a code into the door entry system and the doors opened. Drake turned around and pointed at Kevin, “Mr Brown stay topside, Miss Sedlacek with me”

Janine accompanied Drake into the reception followed by four armed guards

“Miss Sedlacek you have locker number seven” came the familiar female electronic voice from somewhere in the ceiling, “Mr Matthews you have locker number five” it went on, “Please remove all items of clothing and jewellery and place them in the designated lockers”

“Anti-IDE measures override authorisation code Gamma Tau Zeta” Drake shouted back as he continued to make his way to the lift.

This was unheard of, Drake was a stickler for the measure to protect the EAD from doppelganger attack, and now he was allowing them to go fully clothed into the command centre.

The door to the lift opened. Drake, Janine and two armed guards entered the lift. Once again all four were required to run through the voice identification protocol to avoid being sprayed with the deadly nerve agent the lift had as another countermeasure against intruders.

“Mr Jeffries” Drake ordered one of the guards as the lift confirmed their identities, “Take Miss Sedlaceks clothes back topside. Also I’ve change my mind, get Mr Brown to come down, standard anti intrusion protocols”

So Drake would not be stripping of, but she still had to.

Janine kicked off her shoes and slipped her coat of pretty fast and then pulled of her top and then pushed her skirt off along with her panties at the same time. Finally she managed to pull remove her bra and she was naked again just as the lift doors opened.

If it were up to her, Janine would stop wearing bras to come to the EAD s they were so fiddly, but Drake insisted all females topside were to be dressed decently and the only time she turned up braless she was almost sent home

The guard tasked with collecting her clothes remained in the lift as Drake and Janine left the lift with the other guard.

But where was Katrina with the smocks

“What happened?” Drake asked a shell shocked man in his forties with a blood stained smock

“Trolls with guns” The man said quietly, “I’m sorry sir but they came out of the wormhole before I was able to divert it’s exit manually to the containment zone”.

“How many?” Drake pressed

“Two, three” the man replied, “They came out firing and shot dead four people before security could respond and take them down”

Janine had a horrible sinking feeling, “Katrina Lee” she interrupted.

The man turned to her and nodded, “She was the first one they killed. Her body is in the cafeteria with the others”

This was like a thunderbolt to Janine, why would anyone harm a sweet person as Katrina

“How could this bl**dy happen” Drake said angrily, “This system is supposed to detect intrusions like this and divert them to the containment zone as soon as any wormhole starts to form”

“I don’t know sir” the man whined, “It managed to get through detection somehow, I had to dial right through the neutrino count rates before our system would recognise it”

“Oh my G_d” Janine uttered, “It’s the same people who took out Sky Guard”

“What did you say Miss Sedlacek?” Drake then turned on Janine.

Janine swallowed and began, “We sent you the alert Sir, because someone has taken down every last Sky-guard satellite. Remember how Kevin found an anomaly on Integral when Sky-Guard Four went down? That pointed to an artificial wormhole generator which had a different Neutrino count rate to what we have seen in the past”

“And” Drake pressed.

“Our system here at the EAD only looks for the associated gamma ray and neutrino count from any wormhole that might come from IDW01, IDW02 or here on Earth, but just before we lost the final two Sky-Guard satellites we were able to determine that the wormholes that destroyed Sky-Guard did not come from any of those, it was somewhere new. The security system was not looking for that particular place and so it missed it”

“The new settings” Drake then asked the man in front of him, “get them programmed into the security system NOW!”

“Yes sir” the man replied and turned around to go to his station in the command centre.

“And get a new smock” Drake shouted back.

Drake let out a big sigh and walked across the room across the blood stains and shattered glass to another console where a another man sat,

As Janine was in bare feet, she could not follow drake and so could only watch from a distance, but even so Janine could see blood coming from this man’s upper left arm.

“What’s in the containment zone?” Janine heard Drake ask. The man replied but Janine could not hear the reply. Whatever the reply was she could see the look of horror and then relief on Drake’s face. Janine then could make out that Drake was instructing the man at the console to go to the infirmary to get his arm seen to.

Drake then came across to Janine looking physically shaken by what he had just heard, and coming from someone who had once served in Special Forces, that was saying something.

“Thank G_d that containment zone is in that artificial virtual universe you set up” Drake said quietly to Janine.

“Why?” Janine asked

“Because those b*****rds were delivering a bomb” Drake swore, “It detonated in the containment zone. Our servers were only just able to handle it without going down. If it had gone off in the real world this place would have been totalled far worse than what happened at the Facility and a good deal of the surrounding area would have been levelled”

A security guard stepped up to Drake, “Do you want to see the bodies”

Drake shook his head, “No need, just inform the families that their loved ones were killed by some maniac with a gun or something along..”

“No Sir” the security guard interrupted, “Not our people, I meant the bodies of the trolls we killed”

“How?” Janine asked, “Everyone knows that when an IDE dies here on Earth they turn to ash”

“But these haven’t Miss” the security guard replied, “We have the bodies stored in holding. They were very hard to kill even with armour piercing ammo”

+ + +

The Castle Lodinium
(An unknown world)

The man on horseback arrived at the front gate; he had been travelling many leagues.

“Who goes there” a lone sentry challenged as he approached holding his halberd

The man on horseback was irritated by this lowly guard

“Do you not recognise me you oaf” the man on the horse shouted at the sentry, “Are you completely blind or a dolt?”

“I am new to the employ of Lord Samail of the Petros Lands and know you not” the sentry scoffed back, “Now identify yourself” he added with equal robustness.

Just then the man on the horse heard a number of crossbows being made ready from behind some of the castle windows

“I, you peasants” the man on horseback went on, “am Sir Timous of the Zacharan, a noble acquaintance of Lord Samail and I am on an important mission to update his liege on urgent matters that your puny minds could not even begin to fathom”

“I know you not, Sir Timous of the Zacharan” the sentry insisted, “For as I say, I am new to the employ of my liege”

“Then send a message” the man on horseback replied, “Tell his Lordship that our enemies the trolls are on the move and according to a prisoner we have caught and put to the torture they have found another world of men to plunder”

“Now I know you to be a drunkard and a charlatan” the Sentry challenged, “There are no other worlds of men, just ours and the world of the scum of the races that are not of men”

The man on horseback sighed and tossed at the sentry a small black rectangular object made of an unfamiliar material.
The sentry caught the object with his free hand and looked at it.

The object had at its top strange symbols in white and along the bottom what seemed like three buttons. On its front was something like glass but not glass. On the back was just this strange material that felt like metal, but was not cold to the touch like metal.

The sentry pressed one of the buttons and the glass but not glass lit up with strange symbols and writings.

The sentry looked up at the man on horseback with deeper suspicion, “What kind of sorcery is this?”

“It is no sorcery?” the man on horseback said with deep irritation, “It is device we took from the prisoner, and he had taken it from a young maiden on that other world of men that he had slain. Personally for that admission he deserves to be put to the boiling oil, but he is considered to useful Her Grace Sharlarn of Harnshoem. That device, just like the devices of our troll and elven foes is of the forbidden artificer’s craft”

“How do we know it is not of drow or elven design?” the Sentry asked

“Are you being deliberately dense or were you born that way” the man on horseback shouted back, “That is nothing like the craft of the elves or the drow. They make for their own or their allies the trolls and the orcs. See how that device fits in your grubby little paw. It is designed by men for other men and for maidens alike. It is used by the people on that other world for speaking long distances and for recording images, and after slaughtering an innocent young maiden while he was spying on that other world, our prisoner stole that device, now let me pass you dolt. Lord Samail of the Petros Lands will not take your refusal to let me update him of these events lightly”

The Sentry growled and waved the man on horse to enter the castle gate.

Slowly the man on horseback rode up to the sentry, and then the man on horseback held out his right hand to the sentry, “The device?”

Grudgingly the sentry handed the device back to the man on horseback, and then watched as he went through the castle gates.

+ + +

The Entity Affairs Directorate
South London, England

Drake hung up the phone in his director’s office as Janine stood naked and at attention in front of his table, occasionally glancing back through the shattered glass at the clean-up in the command centre. For the first time she was wearing some flip-flops that Drake had sitting in his office until the clean-up crew managed to clear away the broken glass from the, windows and monitors as well as the blood.

Kevin by now had joined Janine in Drakes office, and in compliance with the rules of the EAD security protocols he too was completely naked, although this time it was not because he had turned down the offer of a smock, but because with the death of Katrina, nobody was offering them, or nobody had been assigned that task.

It would be yet another thing on Drake’s to-do list, although it would probably not be a high priority

Janine had never really been that conscious before of the vulnerability of being naked at work, as she worked that way most of the time, but now she felt really vulnerable, possibly due to the shock of the death of Katrina Lee, someone she had only a few hours before had complimented on how well her body looked.

It seemed odd, that only Drake was fully clothed, but these were not normal times, especially as the trolls, allegedly Earth’s allies when the Americans ran the old IDEC, had managed to penetrate one of the most secret organisations in Britain, killed four people including Katrina and almost succeeded in destroying the EAD command centre.

“Do we have any kind of back up for Sky-Guard? Drake asked

“Only the astronomy related satellites like Integral and Swift” Kevin replied
“Can we commandeer them?” Drake pressed
“No sir” Janine interrupted, “Some of them are American, others are run by ESA. With the cut in the funding we gave to them I don’t think we can”
“Plus they don’t have the coverage or full capability Sky-Guard had” Kevin chipped in.

“This is a bl***y mess we are in” Drake answered back, “And I don’t just mean out there. We have a new minister who was more interested in what we wear here or more to the point what we don’t”

“I tried sir” Kevin interrupted, “but”

Drake coughed, a sign for Kevin to shut up.

“And we have lost our main defence against IDE’s coming or going at will across the whole of this planet” Drake continued.

“I’ve reconfigured the area of the virtual containment zone” Janine offered, “We never expected it would be required to handle explosions, but it should do now”
“Assuming the deflection protocols kick in” Drake responded
“They should do sir” Kevin interjected, “I ported the data we got from Integral to add to the checks the security systems looks for”

“If the last intrusion was here in London” Janine suggested, “We could try hand held and vehicle mounted patrols”

“But all the buildings here in the capital and the electronic interference” Kevin objected
“It’s better than nothing” Janine retorted

“Well I suppose that is all we have got.” Drake muttered “And I suppose I better change into a smock and get my clothes stored”, Drake added and stood up and began to loosen his tie.

Janine spotted that Kevin was about to speak again, possibly about the fact that nobody was dishing out the smocks or possibly about the problems of interference with the ground based detection equipment. Janine gave Kevin a black look and shook her head. Kevin got the message and refrained from further speaking

The phone went, and Drake swore before tightening his tie again and picking up the phone.

Drake sat down again, obviously more bad news coming over the phone Janine could only conclude.

Drake hung the phone up again.

“It seems” Drake began, “That what has happened here has come to the attention of the minister and she wants to see us at the MOD Main building, with all due haste”

“How?” Kevin asked, “We haven’t said anything”
“But I did” Drake replied, “To Sir Andrew about the intrusion, and he has seen fit to contact the minister”

“Us?” Janine questioned.
“Yes” Drake responded, “In her infinite wisdom she wants to see me and my two best technicians who are on top of the case, which means you two”

Drake got up and headed for the lift. Janine and Kevin following close behind.

Again all three of them identified themselves to the lift security system and the lift ascended to ground level.

Back in reception, only Kevin’s locker was opened.

“Where are mine?” Janine asked, but the computer voice did not respond.

“Obviously the guard has not arranged for them to be stored” Kevin replied as he pulled his clothes out and quickly began to get dressed.

Drake waited at the door not saying anything.

Finally Kevin was dressed, but Janine was still standing there in reception with nothing but her birthday suit.

Outside a car drew up.

Drake opened the door and motioned for Janine and Kevin to come.

“My clothes aren’t here” Janine protested,
“We don’t have time to look” Drake snapped back, “The minister is waiting. Besides, if she is so interested in what we wear or don’t wear at work maybe you can give her a visual demonstration.

Kevin started to undo his jacket in order to take it off to give to Janine, but Drake shouted firmly “No! Keep your jacket on Mr Brown I need to make a point. Get in the car, NOW!”
Kevin hastily did his jacket up while Drake got into the front passenger seat. Kevin and Janine got in the back

“Sorry Janine” Kevin told her over the top of the car.
“Thanks anyway” Janine replied

What was Drake playing at? Making Janine appear in the nude, before a government minister, at the MOD. What kind of point he was trying to make?”

The two both got in the back seat of the car and did their seatbelts up as the car started off for Whitehall.

Suddenly the earlier fantasy about giving the gate guards a thrill became for Janine a nightmare. Janine would just have to use her arms as best as she could to cover her modesty, especially as soon as they hit the London traffic, and hope that the police did not pull them over and have her arrested on indecency charges.

+ + +

Goodge Street London Underground Station

The hooded figure came out of the station, his hand firmly on the arm of the elderly figure. Amongst the crowd of other commuters they blended in perfectly.

“You” the hooded figure growled at the elderly figure “are going to assist us gain access to certain items at a nearby facility”

The elderly figure said nothing, what could he say anyway? This hooded figure held the one device that would wipe out him and his family unless he complied with his plans of genocide.

The hooded figure proceeded to frogmarch the elderly figure through the crowded street.

The elderly figure could not understand why these humans were ignoring his plight, they were all locked up in their own worlds. Nobody in his home community could get away with treating what looked like an elderly person the way he was being treated. The humans here seemed oblivious to him.

After about ten minutes they were outside a building in what the hooded figure said was Kepple Street

“In here is what we need to take the war back to the human scum” the hooded figure growled, “now in”

The elderly figure expected there to be armed guards, given that they were coming here to steal what Padow the Lord High Troll had said would be a super weapon, but there were none.

Inside the front door was a tiled floor with an octagonal design.



The hooded figure moved the elderly figure over to a set of portraits on the wall and pointed to one of them. “Him” the hooded figure ordered the elderly figure

“Now?” the elderly figure asked.

The hooded figure shook his head in exasperation and pulled the elderly figure into a quiet corridor where nobody was around. “Now” he intoned at the elderly figure.

Quickly the elderly figure started to change shape and morphed into the appearance of the man in the portrait that the hooded had shown him.

“Unfortunately we do not have his voice” the hooded figure then told this now figure from the portrait, “So I will do the talking”

The two of them left the corridor and the hooded figure led the other figure to an information desk.

Instantly the lady on reception recognised the figure who had changed into the appearance of the man in the portrait on the wall, as the person in the portrait and asked how she could be of assistance.

“I’m afraid the professor has lost his voice at the moment” the hooded figure interrupted, “We are working on this” he continued as he handed her a printout.

“We need a viable sample” the hooded figure went on, “We are working on a new treatment and need something to test it on”

The lady looked confused, “I thought you knew” she went on, “all our dangerous pathogens like this were removed to Porton Down last month after the security review you commissioned”

The hooded figure glowered briefly at the lady on the reception desk.

“If you need a sample” the lady went on, “my understanding is that you apply to the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory there and they determine if you can work on the pathogen.”

“Oh yes” the hooded figure replied, “I forgot about that. We will see to the appropriate paperwork”

Just then there was another beeping sound on the hooded figure’s mobile phone and so he pulled his prisoner away from the reception desk and towards the exit.

The hooded figure looked at the phone to read the text, “So the trolls have failed, no matter” the hooded figure remarked with disdain. He then thumbed a few buttons to call the number that had sent him the text with his free hand.

The phone was picked up

“Callum” the voice on the phone said with anger in its voice, “Why are you calling”

“Why did you give me bad intelligence and make me look like a fool” the hooded figure countered, “What we seek is not here in London anymore, it is at some other place called Porton Down. We need you to pick us up and get us there if you want this mission to succeed. I am heading to the pickup place now. You had better not mess up like your troll expedition party seems to have done or you will answer to Padow the Lord High Troll himself”

The hooded figure then hung up, and force marched his prisoner out of the building.

+ + +

The Ministry of Defence Building
Whitehall, London
England

Julie Osborne MP, the parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Defence sat in her office chair as Drake, entered the room and Julie motioned for him to sit in the solitary chair in front of the desk

“Where is Sir Andrew?” Drake demanded.

“He’s busy Mr Matthews” Julie replied curtly, “He notified me of what has happened and that was why I had you summoned”

Just then Kevin and then Janine followed drake into the room and stood at attention behind Drake.

Janine instinctively wanted to cover her modesty with her hands as best as she could, but resisted, just in case it annoyed Drake. Although Janine was quite comfortable working naked at the EAD, since it helped enforce the strict security against shape-shifting doppelgangers, this was different. At the EAD, there were others who like her chose to not wear the paper smocks and work naked, here at the MOD building, she was the only one. The looks from MOD staff she got as she came from the underground car park made her feel surprisingly small and vulnerable, unlike at the EAD.

Janine was glad that they had prior security clearance so they did not have to fill out for a visitors pass at the front entrance like everyone else. She did not feel like explaining the EAD security policy concerning creatures whose existence was a highly classified secret. Even the permanent secretary to this government minister had briefly had a go at her, all she could mumble was that she did not have the time to track down where her clothes had gone to.

Julie looked at Janine, aghast, “Why have you come here naked?” she demanded to know, “This is not the EAD”

“It wasn’t her idea Minister, but as you felt the need to drag us here so quickly” Drake interrupted before Janine could speak, “instead of letting us deal with the fact, that we have lost four of our people, we didn’t have time to collect her clothes from security where there are most likely being kept, instead of the lockers in our front reception. It was my call because we were so pressed for time that she should come here like this, as we had to come with all due haste”

“That’s plain ridiculous, of course you had ample time to collect her clothes from your security so she could get dressed, instead of making her appear before me naked” Julie snapped back, “This is highly unprofessional”

“That was not the impression your civil servants gave me on the phone” Drake responded, “If I recall they informed me that you needed to see use with all due haste and this was a non-negotiable high priority, because we had to give an account as to why our top secret base was attacked when we have had no opportunity to conduct a formal investigation. As for our professionalism Minister, because Miss Sedlacek has an allergic reaction to the paper smocks we use as I mentioned earlier, she regularly works like this, as does Mr Brown here to a very high degree of performance at the Directorate. Her lack of clothes here will not undermine her professionalism in answering whatever questions you thought could not wait”

“This is a cheap political stunt and you know it Mr Matthews” Julie countered back, “You allowed Mr Brown here, coincidentally a man, to get dressed before coming to see me, but not Miss Sedlacek.”

“But my locker with my clothes was already waiting for me in EAD reception” Kevin blurted out, obviously trying to be helpful it seemed to Janine

“So why did you not offer your colleague your jacket” Julie turned on Kevin, “That’s the least you could have done!”

“He did” Drake interrupted before Kevin had a chance to answer, “But I vetoed it, because there wasn’t time Minister, as you needed to see use with all due haste” Drake emphasised before continuing, “and it would not fit Miss Sedlacek anyway”

Janine glanced at Kevin and his jacket that Kevin was now nervously fiddling with. Drake probably had a point about whether it would fit or not, but it had been the thought on Kevin’s part that counted.

It was becoming clear that Drake had not been happy about being summoned so soon after the attack without being able speak to those who were injured or in shock like any leader would have done.

These civil servants he was referring to were obviously trying to capitalise on the tragedy to further their own agenda. She remembered that in some quarters of Whitehall they had queried the setting up of the EAD on the grounds that the route to IDW01 had been severed and that any entities left on Earth were most likely harmless, something Drake hotly disputed. Her being made to appear before the minister stark naked must be his response to those voices in Whitehall who sort to have him called to account so soon, even before he could find out how the EAD could have been penetrated. While it was probably not planned, her inability to get her clothes back as quickly as Kevin did, it showed just how astute and a fast thinker Drake could be. It also showed his ruthless streak to do whatever it took to get the job done, even at the expense of those under him.

“Anyway” Drake continued forcefully, “Miss Sedlacek is quite happy working naked at the directorate, and as you require to have us here instead of back at the directorate, I’m sure she will be only too happy to work here like this, and as a bonus Minister, you will be assured that she is definitely human and not an HIDE47” Drake went on sarcastically. “If you wish minister I can order Mr Brown here to strip off, to give you that assurance too. I do apologise that I did not veto him getting dressed in our reception area, so wasting your more of your valuable time. Next time you summon us Minister, or have your civil servant summon us with all due haste, I will ban anyone getting dressed and we will all come here naked”

“There’s no call for that!” Julie said angrily, “And you know it!”, and then there was an uneasy silence in the room and the atmosphere was so thick, it could be passed off a pea soup.

Drake and the minister seemed to be in staring contest, waiting for the other side to blink first.

It was not Drake who blinked.

Julie pressed a button on her intercom, “Meadows, do the contractors we have in doing the redecoration of the main conference rooms have any spare overalls”
“Is that for the naked female member of the EAD?” came back the reply
“Yes” Julie replied with exasperation
“I took the liberty of calling them Minister as soon as I saw her” the voice over the intercom replied, “They are bringing over a pair as we speak”
“Thank you Meadows” Julie replied, “I’m glad at least someone here is on the ball” she added before hanging up

“And we’re not” Drake retorted

“Well the EAD was penetrated and you’re so called high tech security system failed.” Julie began, “Tell me Mr Matthews, did we shell out two point seven million of tax payers’ money for a system that doesn’t work? That’s what we need to know, especially as the public accounts committee is questioning the part of the defence budget that covers your organisation”

“I thought the Home office took a lion’s share of the cost of the Directorate” Drake retorted

“I thought” Julie continued, “And my colleague in the Home Office has realised, that we need to bring the Entity Affairs Directorate under one government department, to minimise administration costs and overheads. As members of the clean-up squads and special EAD task forces are recruited from Special Forces, including yourself, I felt that the obvious government department was the Ministry of Defence.”

“Just like you were in the treasury and the whips office” Drake said slowly and deliberately, “You just have to have your way, don’t you”.

“I could easily have you removed as head of the EAD for insubordination Mr Matthews” Julie countered, “Your stunt today with your subordinate here would be adequate reason enough for that”

“That’s your prerogative Minister” Drake argued back, “Since you want a yes man at you or your civil servants beck and call, I’m not sure I want to continue at the Directorate. Four people died today and all you care about is what your bean counting chums on the public accounts committee say and the opinion of a particular tabloid newspaper.”

The stony silence was interrupted by the intercom.

Julie answered it with irritation. It was Meadows informing Julie that the overall had arrived. Julie ordered him to send the contractor away come in and pass it to Janine.

About a half a minute later the door opened and the permanent secretary entered the room carrying a clean white overall used by decorators to keep their clothes clean. He offered it to Janine.

Janine nervously looked at Drake and uttered the word “Sir?”

“Miss Sedlacek as Mr Matthews superior, I’m ordering you to put it on” Julie said forcefully, more to overrule what Drake might say, rather than to reprimand Janine.

“Do it” Drake ordered in a reluctant tone of voice..

Quickly Janine got into the overalls and did them up and she felt glad to be wearing something at last. The overall did scratch a bit initially, but it was not as bad as the paper smocks felt when she first tried them on.

“Doesn’t that feel better?” Julie directly asked Janine. Now it seemed that the minister was trying to make the point that Janine was not really happy appearing before her naked, which happened to be true

“Yes Mam” Julie nodded out and then asked “Will you need me to take this off when we leave?” Janine asked

“No!” Julie replied, “You can wear it when you go back to the EAD, we will just reimburse the contractors out of the EAD budget”

“No need I will have it washed and returned when we get back” Drake interjected

“But I insist you keep it for the next time you feel your staff do not have time to get dressed when we need to see them” Julie answered back.

Drake pulled out his wallet and pulled out about three twenty pound notes, “Take it out of that!” he said angrily as he slammed the money down on Julie’s desk

“If I may remind you, yet again” Drake went on, “It was your staff who told us to come with all due haste, before we could deal with staff who were injured, who are in shock at seeing people they worked with killed in front of their eyes. Before we could even investigate if the contractors who installed our system under your PFI screwed up. You just wanted me here, just so you could rant on further about value for money. Give them that, it will save you money on paper work, if that’s all you bl**dy care about”

Janine put her hand up.

“Yes Miss Sedlacek?” Julie asked

“If I may minister” Julie went on, “I believe I know why our security system let in the troll death squad, if that’s what it was”

“And why was that” Julie asked with a tint of sarcasm in her voice.

“Because our system was looking for wormholes from only three places, The Mystical Realms, or IDW01, Aurelia or IDW02 and any diverted wormholes from here on Earth, or at least this universe. The wormhole that carried the trolls who attacked us came from somewhere else Minister”

“Any idea where?” Julie asked

“We are not sure of the name Mam” Janine replied, “All we know is that it came from the same place as the devices that took out the Sky-Guard satellites, and they were done by artificial means. Mam these trolls had guns, the trolls on IDW01 were not armed that way. They used swords, axes or cross bows. We are dealing with technological trolls, from somewhere completely different”

Julie sighed, “Are you sure it is not IDW01, I mean according to the briefing I have here, both The Mystical Realms and Aurelia had a different flow rate of time”

“But they got lock stepped to our flow rate of time” Janine answered, “And there is no theoretical reason to believe that since the separation that would have changed”

“So” Julie said addressing all three of them, “If Miss Sedlacek is right, we could be facing a brand new threat”

“Nothing we can’t handle Minister” Drake replied

“But I disagree” Julie retorted, “If we are facing a threat which has taken out a satellite system that we inherited from the Americans, then perhaps, as a matter of courtesy it might be an idea to consult with them and possibly gain their assistance and know how, after all they do have experience of dealing with trolls”

“I hardly think they are more suitably qualified than our lot” Drake objected, “Under the Yanks, the IDEC headquarters in Brent was totalled. Thanks to one of our brave technicians, under fire after four of his colleagues were slaughtered, the enemy wormhole was switched to an artificial universe, set up by Miss Sedlacek here where their device did no damage. Under the Yanks, we lost what was once called The Facility, under my people, we still have the directorate still standing”

“Which by your own admission” Julie responded, “Was a close run thing”

“We do not need the Americans this time” Drake insisted, “We can handle it ourselves”

“Like I said Mr Matthews, I disagree” Julie went on, “I want you to go back to your directorate, conduct whatever investigation you think appropriate, meanwhile, we will be inviting someone from America who has expertise in these matters, because as they say, two heads are better than one, and may choose to review your findings”

Drake glowered at the minister.

“You are dismissed, you can go back to your precious directorate and find Miss Sedlacek’s clothes” Julie then told the three of them.

Drake shook his head as he stood up. Janine and Kevin both could tell that he was furious, and for good reason. Under the Americans, the Facility had been bombed and Earth had fallen, what made them more qualified in dealings with what was in all probability a new threat from yet another parallel universe.

“Oh and by the way” Julie called out, “Miss Sedlacek, does that overall cause you the same irritation as the paper smocks at the EAD?”

Janine thought for a moment, before replying, “No mam, the smocks made me itch and gave me a bit of a rash, this is quite comfy in comparison”

“Good! Why don’t you wear it when you get back to the EAD” Julie smirked, “After all since we have seen you in the altogether, we are definitely sure that you are human. Maybe overalls like these could replace those paper smocks, I’m sure we could squeeze a bit more out of the next public spending round”

+ + +

The Castle Lodinium
(An unknown world)

Lord Samail of the Petros Lands, a man in his fifties with grey hair sat at his writing desk signing death warrants for those who had displeased him.

Beside him attended two young women who, in accordance with the law, were completely naked, as they were single and unmarried. They were there to wait on his every need, even it is were to be of a sexual nature, and chosen from the daughters of some of the nobility as their feudal dues.

“My liege” called Sir Timous of the Zacharan from the door

“Oh yes, Sir Timous” Samail said as he looked up, “How was the wench I gave for your pleasure after your long ride?”

“I had her placed on that wonderful invention you had made” Timous said with a wicked glint in his voice.

“Is that’s the table where the wench is spread-eagled with her arms and legs restrained while you have your way with her?” Samail asked

“Yes my liege” Timous replied, “I especially liked that nice touch of the garrotte you added as well, to spice things up”

“I believe it heightens the sexual pleasure you can cut off their breathing and partly strangle them” Samail laughed, “Did you let her live after you had your way?”

Timous frowned, “Should I have done?”

Samail shook his head, “That was entirely up to you Sir Timous, in fact, she was of no consequence as she was the youngest daughter of a noble who is slow in paying his dues” Samail replied, “It will teach him and the others to pay up on time. How was her death?”

“It was delicious” Timous answered, “After I had climaxed with her, while she screamed behind the anti-spitting gag, it was a joy to see the terror in her eyes as she knew she was about to die and then to see light of her life go from her eyes as I the very life throttled out of her”

At this Sir Timous notice one of the naked attendants gulping in horror, but he decided to let it slide. What Sir Timous really liked about Lord Samail of the Petros Lands knew how to put women in their place.

“Anyway to business” Samail of the Petros Lands went on, “I have reviewed your intelligence on our troll enemies and examined the device you obtained”

“And?” Timous asked

“I think you may have a point Sir Timous” Samail answered back

“How do we counter this?” Timous asked further
“Well if the trolls are going to this other world of humans who use forbidden technologies, or sending their elven agents” Samail went on, “They must be after something more than mere reasure. Like you I believe they are after something particular”

“Like a weapon?” Timous suggested
“Or something else” Samail replied, “Either way, this is something we do not want them to have”
“Certainly not my liege” Timous responded, “That was why I made all due haste to bring this to your attention”

“I am glad you did Sir Timous” Samail answered, “So I propose you travel to this other world of humans, find what they after and destroy it”

“And what of the humans on that world?” Timous asked, “If this is a weapon, those who have a hand in its creation, by their existence could still pose a threat to us”

“Then you have liberty to destroy them as well Sir Timous” Samail smiled, “After all those humans there have contaminated themselves with forbidden technology. If the surfs here found out that you could run a world with technology instead of magics…”

“That is a terrifying thought my liege” Timous interrupted, “Our way of life would be seriously undermined by such knowledge. You can count on me. If I have to eradicate every last human on that world to preserve our order of things”

“Then you will have my backing Sir Timous” Samail replied, “and my blessing”.

To Be Continued

[Sticks]

Episode III– Antagonists

Spoiler:

Ever felt that nobody understands you?

They think they know you and assume your motives are not what they really are?

It can be frustrating because they will not listen and think they know better.

This can be demonstrated at the interface between politicians and the armed forces, or even senior generals and those lower down.

It was said of British troops during World War One, that they were Lions led by Donkeys!

The armchair generals had no idea what it was like in the trenches but decided the fate of those on the front line, and so we had nightmares like The Somme and Ypres.

This is probably what those at the Entity Affairs Directorate probably feel, as after their headquarters was attacked with the death of four people, the minister over seeing it has decided that they ought to get the help of the Americans, who allegedly have more experience.

Meanwhile it seems that Earth is about to become the battle ground of two opposing forces

+ + +

The Troll City of Power
The Manjura Empire

Callum, the elf, approached the troll leader with slight trepidation. This was Padow, the Lord High Troll, Slayer of Worlds after all.

It was said that Padow kept a loaded sidearm at the ready, should anyone coming to see him, displease him. Either that or one of the two troll body guards armed with combat assault rifles would do the job with one nod from Padow. As Callum had returned empty handed from his brief trip to the world of humans with technology, Padow had summoned him to account for his failure.

As Callum entered the room, he could see that Padow had been busy working on his computer. The troll looked up at Callum, “So your mission has ended in failure” he said angrily, “Why should I not order your execution right now?”

“I have not failed my lord, there is a mere delay caused by faulty intelligence supplied by your incompetent trolls” Callum responded, “The weapon you seek is no longer located in that city they called London, but in a secure military facility referred to as Porton Down. All we need do is locate and enter that site and retrieve what we were after”

“So it is my fault then” Padow replied sarcastically , “I was led to believe that you had messed up at that place they call the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, that you left early because the humans had worked out who you were”

“Captain Strang putting his version of events as ever” Callum retorted, “He was never happy that it was an elf and a doppelganger carrying out this mission instead of a troll strike force. I hear that an attempt to destroy a human facility that monitors travellers to and from their universe ended in the entire loss of that expeditionary force and total failure”

Padow shook his head, “Unfortunately I have to agree with you there, Strang is always impulsive like that and looking for glory in battle like the old days. Unlike me he does not realise that some jobs require finesse, but he represents a particular faction of the Manjura who want to return to the inefficient days of mass armies and open conflict. I had to let his little adventure go ahead lest he accuse me of being weak”

Then Padow grinned, “At least it gives me something of a political weapon against him should I need it”

“I understand My lord” Callum replied, “But I saw no point being at that so called school of medicine, so I left early in order to continue our search for this super weapon we can use to rid ourselves of the human pestilence. The humans in that place in London, as I said have relocated what they term the pathogens to this secure Porton Down place in an area called Wiltshire”

“Hmmm” Padow mused, “With what we know of what this pathogen can do, it shows that someone on that miserable world understands the military potential of what we need to annihilate our human enemies from that world where the humans use magic”

“I still believe” Callum went on, “Your idea to use guile and subterfuge to obtain this super weapon is the right way to go my Lord”

“Indeed it is” Padow reciprocated, “But if this pathogen is located in a military base, we may have to rethink how we go about this. Strang will insist on it”

“Maybe” Callum suggested, “a combination of subterfuge and a full frontal assault, where your trolls create a decoy for our mission of guile and deceit. Maybe Strang could be encouraged to go personally. And of course during such a glorious mission, he might win himself a glorious warrior’s death.”

“I like you’re thinking elf” Padow replied, “We will be able to do several things at once. We will get what we want from this Porton Down place, rid myself of that meddlesome Strang without splitting the Manjura clan and those humans will know the might of the Manjura empire”

+ + +

The Entity Affairs Directorate
South London, England

The car arrived back the EAD, and passed through the explosives scanner. Drake, Kevin and Janine got out of the vehicle almost simultaneously.

To say Drake was fuming would have been an understatement. Neither Janine nor Kevin had wanted to engage in conversation with Drake whilst in the car, so angry he was.

To be effectively side-lined by someone who was not in reality a senior member of the government but a mere parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Defence, in favour of the Americans was galling. Especially as the last time the Americans ran things with their policy of engagement, first the old base called the Facility was bombed with enormous loss of life and then Earth fell. They had to go crawling to a troll tyrant just to undo the damage that they had done, no wonder the US government had shut them down, they were an embarrassment.

A security guard was waiting at the entrance with a supermarket carrier bag. “These are your clothes Miss” he said to Janine, “Sorry about the mix up”

Janine took the bag without comment and entered in to the reception area.

Once again the automatic system assigned the three of them lockers for their clothes. Janine placed the bag with her clothes in the locker, but then asked Drake if she should remove the overalls that the minister had arranged for her to have at the MOD building, after she was made to travel there naked by Drake. After all, did not the minister tell her to wear them at the EAD when she returned?

“The Minister is not here” Drake rebuked her sharply, “Until the oversight committee change them we stick to the existing security protocols, IS THAT CLEAR!!” he added as he removed his clothes and angrily threw them into his locker.

Janine removed the overalls and placed them in the lockers and then the three of them, naked as the day they were born entered into the lift and went through the lift’s identification system.

At the bottom of the lift, they exited the lift and stood there, waiting for someone to offer them the paper smocks and flip-flop shoes.

No one came

Nobody had been asked to fill in Katrina’s role, she was the woman who always offered the paper smocks, even though she never wore them herself. She had been one of those killed by the trolls who had attacked the EAD when they tried to deliver a bomb via an artificially produced wormhole.

It was a poignant moment that emphasised the loss that they felt for one of the more visible of their fallen colleagues.

Technically Janine and Kevin were not really inconvenienced as both always turned down the smocks because they caused them skin irritation, but it still hurt. As for Drake, this seemed to break through his apparent flint like exterior for a moment as he stood there naked and motionless.

“Right” Drake muttered, and headed off to his office, still completely naked.

“I suppose we see if we can hack into whatever satellite system we can” Janine suggested.

“Did I hear that the bodies of the trolls did not turn to ash when they were killed?” Kevin asked.

Janine nodded.

“Shall we?” Kevin began

“No!” Janine interrupted, “Leave that for Drake or someone else to look at. It’s not our specialism”
“It’s not anyone specialism I would have thought” Kevin replied.

“I dare say those from the old IDEC might be more qualified” Janine told Kevin as she ushered him to his station, now cleaned up from where the troll bullets had hit.

+ + +

The Castle Lodinium
(An unknown world)

Lord Samail of the Petros Lands, a man in his fifties with grey hair accompanied Sir Timous of the Zacharan, a younger man in his thirties as they approached three mercenary adventurers who had been summoned to the castle’s main hall.

“These men have never let me down” Lord Samail told Sir Timous, “I have often used them on various missions, which is why I have selected them for you when you travel to that other world of men, let me introduce them for you”

Lord Samail then pointed at the first man in the line-up. The first man stepped forward; he was armed with a large battle axe and a shield

“This is Travis of the Delphi” Samail explained, “Officially he is classed as an outlaw in his own land because he slaughtered the duke there along with his wife and baby son.

“He was a weak and harkened to that woman he called wife” Travis growled, “As for the boy, my patron wanted be sure there was no succession issues and no possible figurehead that the peasants could rally around”

“So you did what needed to be done” Sir Timous asked Travis
“Without a moment’s thought” Travis replied with a smile.
“Excellent!” Sir Timous commented

“This is Quaylong” Lord Samail then said pointing at the second man.

“What he does not know about the darkest and blackest of the magicks, is not worth knowing” Lord Samail explained.

“I know magicks to turn anyone, even the hated trolls and elves inside out” Quaylong sneered, “bring us a slave girl and I will demonstrate”

“I believe you can Quaylong, but that won’t be necessary” Lord Samail replied, “And I would rather not cause a mess in the main hall just yet”

“As my liege has confidence in your ability so do I” Sir Timous added
“But we will be calling on you to help start this mission you have been hired for” Lord Samail chipped in before moving on to the third mercenary adventurer in the main hall “And finally” Lord Samail continued, “This man for obvious reasons just goes by the name of Jamaal”
“That is what they call me at the assassin’s guild” the third man chipped in.

“I hear we are going off world” Jamaal went on, “Suits me, especially as I managed to bump of the local head of the assassin’s guild because he chose to favour one of my competitors in issuing contracts, oh and I bumped him off as well”

“So we will be going up against the trolls in that world of the races that are not of men” Travis interrupted, “I look forward to slaying as many non-humans as I can”

“They are perfect” Sir Timous smiled, “Just one thing my liege”

“And what is that Sir Timous” Lord Samail asked

“We will need outfits that will blend in with that particular society so we can move amongst those heretics without suspicion. We will also need to be armed with weapons that will not attract attention”

“That won’t be a problem for me” Jamaal ventured, “like all assassins, we are masters of blending in and vanishing in a crowd. I could easily pass myself off as an elf or a halfling”

“My dearest Jamaal” Lord Samail interrupted, “This mission will be more of a challenge even for you.”
“How so?” Jamaal pressed

“Our enemies the trolls from that other world of the races that are not of men” Sir Timous explained, “have found another world of men to invade, but this is a world of men not like ours”

“This is a heretical society” Lord Samail interrupted, “who long ago abandoned the noble art of magic in favour of the forbidden art of the artificer. They chose the path of technology and machines over sorcery just like our troll foes have done. These other humans must therefore be considered potential enemies as well.”

“From a captured device of that world” Sir Timous continued, “that was found on a hobgoblin in the pay of the trolls, we have worked out what kind of garments these other humans clothe themselves with”

“This is all very well” Travis interrupted, “but what is our mission on this despicable world we are heading for?”

“The trolls are interested in something this other world of men has” Sir Timous replied, “Which I suspect cannot be good. We are to find out what it is. If it is treasure to pay for mercenaries to fight against us, we must steal it. If it is some kind of weapon, we must either take it ourselves to use against their world or destroy it, along with any of those humans who have been involved in developing it, as a precaution”

Jamaal shook his head in disbelief

“Something you want to add Jamaal?” Lord Samail asked

“We assassins in the past have been hired as spies” Jamaal went on, “I remember being rather good at it”

“And your point” Travis asked aggressively

“Why not find out if these other humans are in league with the trolls or not?” Jamaal asked, “If the trolls prove to be a common foe, maybe”

“I see your logic” Lord Samail interrupted again, “But as I said, these humans chose technology over magic, just like the trolls. Even if they were enemies of the trolls as well, the problem is what their technology does to the order of things and how it could fundamentally undermine our way of life. If we became allied to them, there could be a flow of ideas that could lead to the destruction of the noble houses. It could lead to a populace in rebellion. Do you really want that?”

The three mercenaries shook their heads, the spread of technology and the consequences of the democratic thought it would bring and the impact on their livelihoods was not lost on them. None of them wanted their world of magic disrupted; it was far too profitable to forbid the art of the artificer than let it disrupt the natural order of things

“The maid servants here have done an excellent job in creating garments that will help us blend in to that heretical society” Sir Timous then told them, “We will send them to you as I collect mine and then within the hour we leave for what the humans on that heretical world call Earth. With Quaylong’s help we will be able to find where those perfidious trolls entered that other world of men. Even if they are not there we have the enchanted items that will allow us to hunt them down”

“It just remains for me to wish you good journey and every success” Lord Samail added.

With that Lord Samail turned around and headed out of the main hall, followed by Sir Timous.

“You were quiet” Travis the fighter said to Quaylong as soon as Lord Samail and Sir Timous were out of site

“I prefer to listen” Quaylong responded in an irritated tone, “especially to what is not being said”

“A good thing to do Sorcerer” Jamaal chipped in, “We assassins are known for listening at doors”

“So what was not said” Travis asked

“They are scared of something” Quaylong answered, “If these trolls were after treasure, we would mount the mission into the troll world where we have a bit more intelligence and have had more successes in our fight against them”

“You suspect the trolls are after some kind of weapon?” Jamaal asked
“If it is, then it has to be something really special only these other humans have invented” Quaylong went on, “We have seen how the trolls once used machines to try and dispatch many of us. It was only by use of magic were we able to defeat and annihilate their attack force. They know that”

“So our patrons here suspect a super weapon?” Travis asked

“Indeed” was Quaylong’s reply

Just then three young naked women approached the three mercenaries carrying in their arms clothing for their mission on the other world of men.

Being slave girls to Lord Samail, they were made to go completely naked, to show their lowly position. Also should Lord Samail or any of his male guests feel so inclined, the slave girls were also to be naked so the sexual desires of his guests could be satisfied. Magic spells against conception ensured no awkward pregnancies took place, unless of course any of his guests might want that as a request.

“These have been determined to be the best clothing for your mission my lords” one of the slave girls told the three men.

“We are also here for your sexual needs as well” one of the other slave girls added.

Travis smiled and was about to get ready to have union with one of the slave girls, but Quaylong shook his head, “Carnal lusts can blunt my magic, especially as it seems I am to follow the route our enemies have taken” he told the slave girls, “But I appreciate the offer”

“I too must decline fair maidens” Jamaal told the slave girls, “It is not that I do not think you are worthy, but all three of us have a perilous mission, and we must prepare”

“You may leave us” Quaylong interrupted, “None of us are able to partake at this time”

“Oh!” Travis complained.

“We need to get changed Travis” Jamaal told the fighter, “and that includes you. Once the mission is completed, maybe then you can satisfy your desires, but not until”

“And who elected you leader” Travis angrily asked the assassin.
“And why should it be you I could very well ask” Jamaal retorted

“Please” Quaylong told the two of them, “Our leader will be our patron, but Jamaal has a point, we are going to a different world and we must prepare”

“Oh” Travis said reluctantly, “very well, you may leave us” he told the naked slave girls.

At which they turned around and left.

+ + +

The Troll City of Power
The Manjura Empire

Captain Strang stood in front of his armed shock troops. Everyone a veteran troll tested in combat all armed with full automatic weapons and body armour. They were now awaiting inspection by their commander in chief, the Lord High Troll himself

The small figure of the troll leader, accompanied by and elf, dragging along a wretched doppelganger shape-shifter in chains walked across the parade ground

Strang’s eye narrowed as he saw the elf.

Strang hated elves, especially as they used guile and deceit and were therefore without honour, unlike the noble drow. From Strang’s perspective, that elf had no business going on another mission to this wretched world of the hated technological humans. That elf had already failed to secure the vital weapon that weakling of a leader Padow had demanded when he had first visited that world of technological humans.

If it had been up to Strang, they would have gone in with overwhelming force and torn that city apart until they found what they were after or until the wretched humans surrendered it. Then glory would have belonged to him rather than some abominable elf.

“We are ready to go into battle” Strang said proudly, as he pointed to his troll soldiers

“So I see Strang” Padow, the Lord High Troll sneered.

“I do not see why we need that elf and that human loving shape-shifter” Strang protested

“It is quite simple captain” Padow responded, “We need you to mount an assault on this Porton Down complex to draw out their military. You are to make it look like that they have repulsed your raid, meanwhile Callum will with the use of this captured doppelganger will infiltrate the complex.”

“With all due respect Lord High Troll” Strang interrupted, “If an attack has been mounted, even if it is repulsed, will they not clamp down tighter on internal security”

“Against Trolls they will” Padow replied

“This wretch and I” Callum the elf spoke up as he cruelly yanked on a chain around the doppelganger’s neck, “were able to pass off as humans in that City of London, so if we appear at the gate when you attack, they are more likely to bring us in to their inner sanctum”

The doppelganger just stared at the floor in despair; they still had his family in detention, to ensure he took part in the genocide of all humans. This proposed mass slaughter of humans was something that would revile all doppelgangers as these ones were opposed to violence and the taking of life. It was well known that these doppelgangers on this world were strict vegetarians. The doppelganger was in a no win situation, just because they possessed the ability to modify their form.

“This does over complicate matters” Strang went on, “If we move against Porton Down with overwhelming force”

“Then they may destroy the very thing we seek before you get to it” Padow snapped back angrily, “If these humans believe they have been victorious, then they will drop their guard, while Callum and this shape-shifter retrieves the pathogen we seek which will annihilate the human menace from that world of magical humans and this world of technological humans for good measure.”

Padow then walked up to Strang and looked him in the eye, “Of course” Padow went on in a quiet yet menacing tone, “if you are unable to lead this decoy attack, then you are welcome to resign your commission in the Manjura Guard”

“I will give you your distraction” Strang growled back, “But if that elf fails yet again with this plan you approved, will you be stepping aside as Clan chief?”

“You would like that Strang” Padow said with venom

“I am a mere loyal member of the Manjura elite guard my lord” Strang said with obvious sarcasm, “I was just thinking of how the Manjura elders would see yet another defeat in our war with the human invaders”

“You just do your job Strang and leave the elders to me” Padow answered back, “Is that clear”

“As a dry winter’s day” Strang growled back

Padow turned around partially and walked away from Strang towards the elf

“And you elf” Padow growled at Callum, “You had better bring me back that weapon or I will personally see to it that your clan is exterminated”

“You forget my liege” Callum replied, “I am the last of my clan, the humans have already slaughtered the rest of them. I will do whatever it takes to wipe that race from existence in all universes they infest”

Padow then looked at the wretched doppelganger, “You had better do as this elf orders, or it won’t be just your family that will pay the price for your misplaced sympathies for the human scum”

“But” the doppelganger was only able to get out before a searing pain went through his body from the shock collar he was forced to wear, causing him to collapse on the ground.

“You do not speak unless bidden” Callum scolded the doppelganger as he produced a black box. “You have to make these wretched creatures know their place my lord” Callum calmly told Padow.

For a brief moment, Padow, the Lord High Troll smiled to show that he approved of the chastisement of the miserable shape shifter. Humans deserved no sympathy or mercy, only extermination.

Padow then moved away from the elf and addressed the assembled trolls as well as Callum and the doppelganger

“Our Orc technicians will bring out the artificial gateway to that world of technological humans in a moment” Padow went on, “This mission is of the utmost importance in our war with the humans. Captain Strang will brief those of you in the Manjura guard on your roles, Callum here and the shape-shifter are already aware of their roles. There is no need to remind any of you, that we cannot afford failure, because failure could mean our destruction at the hands of the humans. The stakes are that high. These other humans in this world you are going to have a weapon which will obliterate the humans who attacked us once and for all, with the benefit of having another two worlds to exploit once those humans, and the humans on the world you are going to are no more. A perfect prize to show that the Manjura clan is the only troll clan that actually delivers victory.”

At this the Manjura troll guards with the exception of captain Strang gave a loud cheer

+ + +

The Entity Affairs Directorate
South London, England

Kevin looked for feeds from various astronomical satellites looking to see what could be used in place of the Sky Guard system, but it was tough going. A number of them were positioned looking away from Earth, and some, if they even looked at Earth, it might cause them damage.

The added complication was that such access had to be covert so the legitimate users did not find out what their probes were being used for, especially the American ones. It was bad enough that the minister was bringing in Americans but for them to find out that the EAD was trying to hack into their systems would complicate maters.

But the truth was his heart was not in it, especially as he remembered the four colleagues, including Katrina who had been slaughtered by the troll assault squad. He really wanted to be in on the examination of the troll bodies, but others, more skilled in that field of study had taken that job

“I think you are on a hiding to nothing” Janine’s voice broke through.

Kevin looked up at Janine’s naked figure as she stood there beside his chair

“What else have we got?” Kevin snapped back

“We have the mobile scanners” Janine replied
“But like I said earlier” Kevin went on, “They were never much cop when they were first developed. Some building materials block their signal and even when you don’t have that problem the range is limited and they have been known to give false readings depending on what space weather we are having, especially if we were to have a CME”

“I thought we were at a solar minimum” Janine answered back, “Plus I don’t think we are anywhere near a star that is due to go nova and send us a GRB, since they are supposed to give false positives”

Kevin sighed, “Look I know people here want to be doing something, but I worked on those things last year. We really hoped we could reverse engineer something like the old orbs of detection the IDE’s had, but at the end of the day, we could not get them to work efficiently in an urban environment due to EMC issues. Take it from me Janine, the mobile scanners were a dead end, I’m surprised that they were even kept”

Janine glowered at Kevin, with his defeatist attitude and then a thought struck her, “What building materials caused the most problems?”

“Granite” Kevin replied, “Because it has a natural radioactivity, also some steel and concrete buildings caused a problem, but as I say, even if you don’t have those, London is awash with various electronic signals from Wi-Fi to short wave radio and mobile phones. Hunting for an incoming wormhole with a mobile scanner would be like trying to detect a pin drop at a heavy metal rock concert”

“So how did Sky Guard manage it then?” Janine asked with frustration in her voice.

“Well it was in Low Earth Orbit and well away from some of the signals we get at ground level that jammed the mobile units, plus a lot of the roofing materials did not block the gamma ray, X-ray and neutrino emissions that the materials used for walls did”

“So we need to get some height then?” Janine suggested.

“I can see where you are going with this” Kevin interrupted, “Theoretically it is possible to get a mobile scanner and put it on say a weather balloon, just like they used to do, to do some times of astronomy, but a balloon will be at the mercy of the winds and let’s not forget what a crowded airspace London is, assuming that, that is where these IDE’s are going to target.”

“Helicopters?” Janine asked.

“Too much interference from the avionics” Kevin countered, “plus there is the danger the scanner might interfere with the helicopter”

“There has to be something Kevin” Janine said angrily, “Those b*****ds killed Katrina, tried to kill the rest of us and we are doing nothing”

The phone sounded at Kevin’s terminal

Kevin reluctantly answered it.

Janine turned to go away and started heading anywhere away from Kevin and his can’t do attitude.

“Janine” Kevin called out, “Mr Matthews wants to see us in his office”

Janine frowned and accompanied Kevin as they both went into Drake’s office.

Drake by now was wearing a paper smock.

Janine and Kevin just stood naked and at attention.

“Preliminary findings” Drake went on, “that the calibre of the ammunition that the trolls used is of the same calibre of the ammunition that killed that vagrant a while back”

“Well that’s a no brainer sir” Janine ventured

Drake looked daggers at Janine for that interruption and then spoke up, “take Mr Brown and go back to that place”

“Why?” Janine asked, “We deep cleaned that place, there’s nothing there”

“Even if there were any residual trace” Kevin added, “There’s nothing there that would be of much use”

“I know” Drake replied, “But we need to be able to show the yanks our minister in her infinite wisdom is bringing in that we have been covering all bases”

“Even though there is no point going to that location” Janine asked

“They initially chose that place” Drake replied, “The first Sky Guard satellite that was taken out was the one that detected that intrusion. Maybe they chose to go back there again, it’s isolated and nobody goes there now?”

“You want us out of the way” Janine accused Drake
“Now why would I want that Miss Sedlacek?” Drake retaliated

“There’s something you’re not telling us” Janine pressed

“I don’t want any unpleasantness” Drake said after a sigh.

“And what do you mean by that?” Janine asked, a sense of foreboding creeping over her.

Drake gritted his teeth for a moment, “Remember how the minister is inviting those yanks back?”
“Yeah” Janine replied
“Well it seems that one of the so called experts the Americans used is actually a Brit, living here in England and she is someone you have met before” Drake explained

Janine shook her head in confusion and then it dawned on her, “Her?” she asked with incredulity?

Drake nodded his head

“Who’s this?” Kevin interrupted

“Not her please, not her” Janine said softly, “I don’t think she will be too happy to see me, will she?”
“Well since your father basically destroyed her career at CERN, I wouldn’t be surprised” Drake replied
“When is she coming?” Janine asked
“She’s on the train down from Leeds right now” Drake answered, “Our minister has had her summoned down to London. How she knew about her I have no idea”
"If the minister has spoken to a particular American, they might have mentioned her” Janine suggested
“You’re most probably right Miss Sedlacek” Drake admitted, “we are expecting her in about two hours and her former boss sometime tomorrow I suspect, depending on how fast our minister can persuade the home office to grant him a visa”

“But I thought we had him declared persona non grata” Janine objected
“So did I” Drake said sympathetically

Janine was quiet for a moment, “So I better take Kevin to that factory then”
“Yeah! You do that” Drake responded

“We will need to take a mobile scanner and a residual detector even if it is just for show” Janine told Drake.
Drake reached into his desk and pulled out the two devices and handed them to a confused Kevin.
“Come on, let’s go” Janine told Kevin, “We have a site to visit”
“I’m confused” Kevin spoke up as they left Drake’s office.

“I’ll fill you in later” Janine replied.

The two then headed for the lift and entered into it. After confirming their identities the lift ascended

In the reception area, their lockers were opened for them and both Janine and Kevin got dressed in silence.

After that they went outside where a driver pulled up with a pool car and handed Kevin the keys

+ + +

Kings Cross Station
London, England

The woman with platinum blonde hair passed through the ticket barrier carrying an old duffel bag with her spare clothing and a laptop bag.

After checking her ticket she headed past the coffee stands out of the front entrance and looked around at the London traffic.

The instructions were quite clear, head out of the station and turn left. Head out until she reached the Starbucks coffee shop.

The woman headed out and navigated past the pedestrian crossing and the McDonalds store. She reached the Starbuck coffee shop which was just past the Pret a Manger coffee shop and went to open the door to go in,

Suddenly she felt what seemed like a gun in the small of her back.

“Are you alone” A male voice asked her

“You’re going to have me deep cleaned here?” the woman asked, “In public”

There was the inaudible sound of someone speaking on a phone, or a Bluetooth device.

“That won’t be necessary” the man behind her said, “You’ve been cleared, now go in to the Pret, the woman on the left before the steps to go down stairs”

Then he was gone.

The blonde woman looked around, but whoever the gunman was, he was skilful in vanishing into a crowd. Obviously recruited from Special Forces, but why?

Nervously she entered the alternative coffee shop wondering why the change of venue. There was a large queue of people selecting sandwiches and other items, but all the blonde woman was focused on was a woman in her fifties sitting on her own with a large cup of tea.

The blonde woman sat down in front of the woman drinking tea

“Well I’m here” the blonde woman announced to the woman drinking tea

“Sorry do I know you?” the woman replied, looking startled and confused.

But I was told you” The blonde woman started to say, but then the whole café started to spin and she felt weird.

Then everything went black

+ + +

An abandoned factory
Somewhere in London

“So this is it” Kevin stated as he parked the car and switched off the engine, “There’s nobody here and no CCTV are you going to fill me in”
“What?” Janine asked a little distracted
“This woman that Drake wanted you out of the way for?” Kevin said for clarification

Janine looked at the dashboard and was silent for a moment, “Her name is Doctor Charlene Henshaw”
“So how did your father destroy her career?” Kevin pressed

Janine looked out of the window at the factory, a tear forming in her eye, “That b*****d destroyed so many lives” she whispered as her thoughts went back to Cindy, the young mother, abducted and hanged in Janine’s cell at Holloway as part of her father’s then plan to spring her from prison.

“Sorry” Kevin then said, “I should not have asked” he added as he opened the door and got out.

Janine composed herself and got out of the car and closed her door. Kevin was getting the scanner and the residual detector out of the boot of the car.

“My father had her abducted to work on his project to reconnect our world with IDW01” Janine told Kevin

“And how did that destroy her career?” Kevin asked
“In order to do that he reactivated a clean-up squad and used a former member of the UK IDEC who did not like the American takeover” Janine went on, “They were following some minor spirit of virtue, Luck I think she was, and her boyfriend as they tracked down Doctor Henshaw. They tracked them to CERN and in capturing Doctor Henshaw my father’s men killed a number of people at CERN at their reception area, including a young mother. When Doctor Henshaw was released from my father’s artificial universe apparently she found out that they no longer wanted her back. The people at CERN say that the employees my father’s men killed were murdered because of her work with the Americans, and she was no longer welcome back there, nor was she welcome back at her old university when they found out what had happened”

“So what happened to her?” Kevin asked
“Last I heard she was living with her aunt and trying to get a low grade job like in a supermarket as a shelf stacker or something like that” Janine replied

“That’s a comedown from working with cutting edge technology at CERN” Kevin said in a shocked expression
“Well Kevin, there’s no way she will ever get a job in physics again when at the last place she was employed, her colleagues were slaughtered because work she did for the Americans” Janine said before emotions got the better of her and she turned around and headed towards the abandoned factory.

Kevin closed the boot and caught up with her and put his hand on her shoulder. For a moment Janine flinched before remembering it was just Kevin.

“It was your father who had them killed and ruined her life not you” Kevin told Janine.
“And I killed my father because of what he did to me and my mother” Janine spat back, “But it doesn’t make me feel any better”

“That bit I didn’t know” Kevin said quietly
“Well patricide is not something to boast about is it?” Janine retorted

Kevin sighed for a moment and turned on the residuals detector, “Ok let’s get started” he said out loud

“Right” was all Janine could reply

The two of them entered into the old factory past a broken fence that was supposed to keep people out.

“Well this is a waste of time even though it gets me out of the way” Janine said softly, “This was where that vagrant was found shot dead by what appears to be troll weapons” Janine called out.

Kevin made no reply

“We swept the area then and made sure there was nothing for the Met to find” Janine went on.

Still no response from Kevin

Janine turned around and saw that Kevin was fiddling with the residuals detector. “Kevin?” Janine called out

Kevin held up the residuals detector, “When was this last calibrated?” he asked
“I’ve no idea, that’s Mick’s department” Janine replied, “Why?”
“Because it is saying that there has been wormhole activity within the last forty eight hours at least, possibly less” Kevin answered

“That’s impossible, that vagrant was killed weeks or months ago” Janine retorted and came over to where Kevin was, “Are you operating it correctly”
“Yes” Kevin said defensively and handed Janine the device

Janine closed the device down and restarted it, but even she got the same result, there was the tell-tale result of intense gamma ray, neutrino activity and X-rays, characteristic of an artificial wormhole.

“Drake’s not going to like this” Janine told Kevin, “No wonder they knocked out Skyguard”

“But a troll is highly visible” Kevin pointed out
“That has to mean that they sent someone who can blend in” Janine replied
“Like doppelganger assassins?” Kevin suggested

Just then they heard a sound coming from a corner of the factory. Instinctively Janine pulled out her regulation issued nine millimetre automatic.
“Someone’s still here” she whispered to Kevin

+ + +

A white padded cell
Location unknown

The blond woman came too

She was in some kind of padded cell and she was stark naked.

“Hey!” the blonde woman shouted, “What kind of perverts are you?”

Nothing

“I have rights” the blonde woman shouted

Still nothing

“Why don’t you just deep clean me you a**e holes” the blonde woman shouted

The door clicked as there was the sound of it unlocking.

Suddenly the blonde woman felt very afraid, whoever had asked her to take a specific train from Leeds and whoever had somehow drugged and stripped her, were probably very dangerous people, given what secrets she had been privileged to.

The door swung open, but there was nobody in the doorway. It had been opened by automatic means.

Nervously the blonde woman approached the door, using her arms to cover herself as best as she could

Outside was some kind of corridor and a man in his fifties approached her. He was looking irritated and wearing what looked like a paper smock and flip flops.
“So you’re a wake then” the man said in an irritated manner

“What kind of pervert are you” the blonde woman shouted angrily, “How many people have raped me then?”
“None” the man retorted, “We don’t do that sort of thing here. The man then produced another paper smock, “You can put this on, or you can go naked if you like, it’s up to you”

“What?” the blonde woman replied with incredulity, “What have you done with my clothes and my laptop”

“They’re safe, you’ll get them back” the man replied again in an irritated tone, “We had to make sure that you were human and not a HIDE47, that was why you were sedated and stripped. Now do you want this or not” he added waving the paper smock at the blond woman

The blonde woman took the paper smock and pulled it over her head and glowered at the man.

“Why am I here?” the blonde woman demanded to know

“Why indeed” the man sneered, “Let me make this quite clear, you being here was not my idea. Your former CO recommended you after a certain politician stuck her oar in and invited him to meddle in our organisation”

“The colonel, I mean the brigadier major?” the blonde woman asked

“Yeah” the man continued to sneer, “Now this way Doctor Henshaw” he added as he gestured to follow him down the corridor, “We are rather busy”.

+ + +

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
Salsbury, Wiltshire
England

The weather was dry with a light breeze as a green dot appeared in thin air, outside one of the fences, close to a field which had set of buildings in it,

It went unnoticed

Then the green dot grew in size to a whirling vortex.

Suddenly several trolls piled through the vortex, some carrying machine guns others carrying other equipment. They were followed by Captain Strang their commander and Callum the elf, dragging along the reluctant doppelganger.

Finally an orc came through carrying a large green box.

The vortex closed down

“So” Callum told Strang, “This wretched doppelganger is going to mimic one of those human politicians whose photo Padow the Lord High Troll found on the human’s own computer network and we will approach the main gate. Our story is that we have come to attend a meeting which the guards on the gate have not been informed of for security reasons”

Strang scoffed, “And why will you be on foot and not in one of the humans automotive transports? Any guard worthy of that profession will ask that question”

The elf grinned, “There is a road nearby here is there not?” he asked, “Intercept one of those human transports and kill the occupants, problem solved”

“And how do you know how to operate such a vehicle?” Strang queried, “I have not noticed his Lordship owning one” he added sarcasticlly

“The Lord Low Troll and I have studied how they work” Callum replied with irritation, “They are a crude internal combustion engine, not so very different from some of the automotive transports the orc technicians have developed and of which I am a skilled driver”

“I am yet to be convinced of your ability to operate an alien machine” Strang growled.

“Then we shall have to say that our official vehicle has broken down a long way back” Callum snapped back, “And hope they are gullible”

Strang shook his head in disgust, “Listen Elf” he began, “When I plan a mission I make sure every part has been rehearsed and nothing is left to chance”

“Like that mission to take out that base where the humans look for intruders to this world of theirs?” Callum sneered
Strang chose to ignore this interruption. “You may have the ear of the Lord Low Troll” he continued, “but I have the ears of other members of the Manjura Clan who may be persuaded to seek a new clan chief”
“You want to replace him don’t you” Callum accused the troll

“I will serve whoever the Manjura elders consider fit to lead our clan” Strang growled back in an unconvincing manner

“Well they consider the Lord Low Troll fit to be your leader” Callum growled back, “And it is he who suggested that we acquire from a human one of their vehicles in order to ensure the success of our ruse”

“As you wish” Strang snapped back, “But if you crash that thing it will be more ammunition I can use to convince the Manjura elders of the folly of supporting our current leader”

“I will not crash that thing Captain” Callum asserted “And once I am at that gate you launch your assault. The guards will want to make sure that the human politician and his faithful aid are safe, and we will be ushered into their complex, where this wretch of a shape-shifter will take on whatever appropriate form we need to obtain what we need”

“Callum Sir” the orc coughed and handed a small brown box, “This is from our labs sir” the orc went on, “It’s a one use gate back to our world once you have secured the human developed weapon”

The elf took the box and thanked the orc, before turning to the troll yet again, “It is so good to know that at least some races accept the rule of the Lord High Troll and trust his judgement”

Strang narrowed his eyes and glowered at the orc, quietly he felt it was a betrayal of troll-kind that the Lord High Troll had dealings with this particular race, even if the orcs were some of the best technological innovators of their world.

“Now get me one of their transports” Callum persisted

The troll captain grunted and waved at two of his trolls to come with him down to the road where they could see an approaching vehicle in the distance.

+ + +

An abandoned factory
Somewhere in London

Janine continued to be wary as she heard ominous noises from elsewhere in the abandoned factory.

“Kevin I think we need to get out of here” she called quietly to Kevin and motioned for him to head for the exit.

“Ok” Kevin replied, “We need to report in anyway”

Kevin turned around to head out of the building when suddenly he screamed in pain and collapsed to his knees.

Kevin fell forward, dead; a crossbow bolt embedded itself in his back

Janine turned around to face from where the bolt had been fired.

Suddenly the gun was wrenched out of her hand and flung to the far side of the building and she was thrown on her back.

A force held her down, preventing her from moving

Then four men emerged from a part of the building that had been in shadow. They looked like they were dressed in the kind of clothes everyone dressed in, but something did not seem right. One of them a small male was the one wielding what looked like a small cross bow. Another of the men seemed to be chanting something, obviously he was casting some kind of magic spell that had thrown her to the ground, A human using magic?

“A wench that carries a weapon” one of the men said in a strange accent, “How appalling and how stimulating, I’m sure Lord Samail will have a great time interrogating her before she is put to death”

To be continued

[Sticks]

Episode IV– Symmetric-Partners

Spoiler:

It is often easy to under estimate how dangerous or serious a situation can be. Many people getting into trouble on the hills or the mountains, are tourists who set out on what seemed like a fine day, only to be caught out by a change in the weather.

It is often true of the sea, which can change very quickly.

This seems to be what Janine Sedlacek and Kevin Brown of the Entity Affairs Directorate had done when they were sent to investigate an old abandoned factory on the outskirts of London. This was where they had detected the arrival of a new set of hostile trolls. As that site had been cleared a while ago both assumed it was just a waste of time to get Janine out of the way.

This assumption has now led to the death of Kevin, shot in the back by a powerful cross bow and Janine’s capture by what seems to be a group of men who are using magic!

+ + +

An abandoned factory
Somewhere in London

The man in what seemed to be a tuxedo, drew what seemed to be a foil and placed its sharp point on Janine’s throat.

Janine wanted the scream, but she was paralyzed by the spell that one of the other men was chanting. The man with the foil at her throat seemed to be the leader of whoever these men were

“It was a pity you were too eager to pull the trigger Jamaal” a fourth man said in a thick accent.

Like the man with the foil, he was wearing what looked like a tuxedo but unlike the man with the foil it did not quite fit him. This fourth man was carrying what looked like a Samurai sword, and a bad imitation of one at that. Janine knew this, because her father Sir Sidney Gerald had once owned one that had been presented to him by the Japanese ambassador several years ago.

“We could have interrogated him as well instead of just his slave girl” the fourth man complained

“Do not let appearances deceive you Travis” the man who had killed Kevin replied, “In my profession some of the best assassins have been women because nobody expects an attack to come from them, besides she was carrying the heretic weapon not him and I could not allow him to escape”

“What’s done is done” the man with the foil said to the others, “Jamaal go collect this wench’s weapon, Travis come here and restrain this wench”

The fourth man approached Janine as she lay helpless on the floor and then roughly pulled her up by grabbing her upper arms in his vice like grip as the man with the foil backed off.

“This wench is wearing too many clothes” this large man they were calling Travis growled at Janine, “I say we should strip her here and now, it is not decent for a slave girl to be attired in anything. My father always said, a wenches place was either in the kitchen or the bedroom in nothing but her skin”

The man with the foil again placed the sharp point of his blade on Janine’s throat, “All in good time Travis. Quaylong said that this was one of the oldest of the entry point of our troll enemies and we need to find out why these two were here.”

The man with the foil turned to the man who was chanting, “Quaylong, We have this one secured” he shouted across to him.

The man who had been chanting stopped and immediately Janine felt the paralysing spell leave her, but it was no good, as the large man held her firmly, while the other man, who seemed to be the leader held his foil at her throat.

“Now wench” the man with the foil said menacingly, “You will not speak unless you are spoken to. You are the prisoner of Lord Samail of the Petros lands. Your presence here with a weapon and another man in a place where trolls have intruded tells me that you know of them”

“My liege” the man who had been chanting, and who had been addressed as Quaylong spoke up, “Shall I open a gate to our world to take this prisoner back?”

“Do you not have a spell to loosen her tongue instead?” the large man holding Janine asked with irritation, “Once we get what we want, I say we snap her neck and get on to where that troll scum is more likely to be located”

“Patience my dear fighter” the man called Jamaal said in a smarmy manner, “You know why we chose this place over the fresher scent of their entry to this world”

“It did not make sense to me” the big man snapped back, “We find the trolls and we go in”

“And you forget our objective Travis” the man with the foil intervened, “If we just go in where they are, in open combat, they could very well prevail”

“My liege is right Travis” the man they called Jamaal said to the man holding Janine, “In my profession, the best way to deal with the target you have been hired to kill is to use stealth, so they never see you and never see the moment of their death coming”

“Now wench” the man with the foil addressed Janine, “I suspect you know about the beasts they call trolls who came this way, why else would you be coming to what is an obvious ruin, armed and with a man. Tell us what their plans are”

Janine shook her head, “We don’t know” she bleated out

“LIAR” the man holding her screamed out and then threw her down to the floor hard.

Before Janine could recover from the shock of landing on the floor, the large man quickly knelt down, grabbed her right shoulder and smashed her face with the back of his hand.

“You are in league with the troll scum” the large man shouted at her, “Now answer the question”.

“TRAVIS” the man with the foil shouted, “You will leave interrogation of prisoners to me”

Janine wiped her nose which was starting to bleed profusely. The large man grabbed her arms just below her shoulders and pulled her up. “Lie again and I will snap your neck” he growled at Janine.

“I said leave the interrogation of the wench to me” the man with the foil rebuked the large man.

“But this one knows more than she is telling” the large man countered

“She hasn’t been able to say much of anything thanks to you” the one called Jamaal sneered

“I have to agree with our fighter friend” the one called Quaylong interjected,
“Thank you” the large man replied gruffly
“But I suspect she has not given a deceptive answer” the man called Quaylong continued, “You do not need magic powers to tell that they know of the trolls, the fact even the wench is armed, shows that they were aware that they were here, but it also shows that they may not be in league with them”

“That kind of makes sense” the man named Jamaal concurred, “If they were in league with the trolls, why come to a place where they are not, and why come armed if they are allies”
“My liege” the man called Quaylong went on, “I suggest you modify your questions, and yes Travis, I do know a spell that will ensure her veracity”

“Very well” the man with the foil said, and then in a menacing tone to Janine said, “So wench are you also at war with these despicable beasts called trolls?”

“We don’t know, they attacked us” Janine could not help herself saying. Then she noticed that the man called Quaylong was chanting again, but this was not the same chant as before that paralysed her.

“So how did they attack you?” the man with the foil asked further

Janine wanted to resist, she so wanted not to answer, just as they were ordered to do so, to keep the existence of other parallel universes and other beings secret, but the spell that the one called Quaylong was chanting, would not allow her

“They knocked out our satellite surveillance system which monitors entry to and from our world and gated into our Entity Affairs Directorate control room and killed four of our people before their wormhole could be deflected to an artificial universe where the bomb they tried to send to destroy us detonated instead” Janine could not help saying.

“This wench is making a fool of us by speaking nonsense” the large man complained and then he spun her around to face him, took one hand off of her shoulder and made a fist to strike her again, “Your magic failed Quaylong” the man called Travis said angrily, “I will beat the truth out of this one the old fashioned way”

“NO!” the man with the foil shouted at the man called Travis, “If you want to be paid your fee, you will do as I say. You forget these heretics do not use magic as we do; they use and rely on machines like our troll enemies. You may not understand what she is talking about, but I recognise a veracity spell. The wench did not lie”

The large man glowered at Janine and then placed his hand back on Janine’s shoulder.

“If that is the case my liege” the one called Jamaal piped up, “Then this wench knows nothing of the troll’s plans, there is little point wasting Lord Samail’s time”

“Then I say we should snap her worthless neck” the one call Travis said in an angry tone, “We don’t want her telling her friends at this Entity Affairs Directorate place of our presence”

“On the contrary Jamaal” the man with the foil contradicted the two men, “These heretics like the trolls have an awareness of other worlds; this wench may have some value, just in case we need to take action against this world too. We need to know more about this Entity Affairs Directorate and how to take it out if we need to.”

The man with the foil turned to the man who was chanting, “Quaylong” he instructed the chanting man, “It is obvious that the trolls have long gone from here, we need to examine the other entry points these trolls have made to this world, ready the crystal to return so we can place this prisoner in Lord Samail’s dungeon and then we can return here by one of the other entry points.”

The man stopped chanting, bowed to the man with the foil, “As you wish Sir Timous”

This was the first time the other men had mentioned the name of the man with the foil. For some reason, he had looked familiar, but Janine could not quite place him. Now it looked that she was going to be dragged to a world, where men used magic, and if what this brute of a man that had hit her was anything to go by, women were very much second or third class citizens.

+ + +

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
Salisbury, Wiltshire
England

One of the guards on the front gate walked towards the car as it drove up to the gate. The sharp manner in which it stopped seemed odd, almost as if the driver was unfamiliar with that vehicle.

He tapped on the window.

After several seconds the driver managed to find out how to open the window, It must be a new car, although it didn’t look that new!

“This is a restricted site” the guard told the driver.

“This is a ministerial visit” the driver said in what was a strange accent, almost like an eastern European accent.

The guard took a look at the front seat passenger; it was the new Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology. For some reason the minister looked sad and dejected and was not talking at all, could it be that he did not get the job he was expecting to get in the last government reshuffle?

“We haven’t been told of any ministerial visit” the guard told the driver.

“Because it has had to be kept secret for security reasons” the drive replied in a condescending tone.

The guard narrowed his eyes at the driver, “Sir, as a matter of security at this site, we are informed of all visits by ministers by their private offices. I realise the minister is new to his post, but as his PS you should have known”

“Oh sorry” the driver remarked, “The usual PS was taken ill and I was asked to drive our minister here to the meeting. If you wish we can just turn around and return to London, and you can explain to your commanding officer why the minister failed to show up to the meeting he himself called”

“If you are not the PS” the guard pressed, “then I am going to need some ID”

Before the driver could reply there was a large explosion as one of the outlying buildings erupted into a fire ball.

Just as suddenly there was another explosion. Time it was in the road a few feet from the rear of the ministerial car, causing its back windscreen to shatter and knocking the guard off his feet.

Then there was the sound of incoming gun fire. Whoever was attacking this installation was using some kind of rocket launchers and automatic weapons. Quickly the guard got to his feet and yelled at the other guard to open the gate to allow the ministerial car to enter the site.

That was the last thing he did, as seconds later he died in a hail of machine gun fire.

The second guard saw the first guard go down and swore. He hit the switch to open the gate and fired a burst of returning fire over the ministerial vehicle.

It was still unclear who was attacking the laboratory or how they were so heavily armed.

The ministerial car lurched forward and stopped as the driver seemed to have problems. Then it started up and drove through the gate.

The second guard pulled out his radio started to report the attack, as he was doing so he saw several huge figures that were definitely not human. They were big, wearing some kind of strange body armour and carrying large machine guns.

The guard aimed his weapon at one of the creatures, but he was too slow, and a second later, his head exploded as it was hit by a burst of machinegun fire from one of the creatures.

+

Captain Strang looked on through his field glasses as his troops pressed home the attack on the human installation. He had seen Callum go in the front gate with that human loving doppelganger and so technically his men should be making just noise and then at some point withdrawing.

“What is the status” Strang asked over his radio.

“We have taken out the human guards” came back the reply

“Any further resistance?” Strang then asked

“None that we can see” came back that answer

Strang thought for a moment, Callum’s plan rested on the forced co-operation of a doppelganger to get into a position to steal what that weakling Lord High Troll described as a pathogen.

Strang was not too sure what a pathogen was, all he knew was that it would help build a super weapon that would annihilate those humans that used magic and who had been using it to great effect against Troll technology, as if that were possible!

Strang considered his troops he had with him on this strange world of humans with technology.

The Lord High Troll was not here!

Suppose that despicable elf failed, and given the reliance of his plan on a doppelganger, that was probably most likely, then it would be up to him, Captain Strang to retrieve the situation.

“There will most likely be some other barracks” Strang said over the radio, “Take that out and kill all you find”

“Sir?” the troll questioned over the radio, “I thought our orders were”

Strang interrupted “Our plans have been changed” he said into the radio, “We are going to press home the attack as our intelligence indicates this military base is only lightly defended. We are now going to capture this base and then take any prisoners back to our world for their trial and execution. When we secure the pathogen ourselves, then the honour will go to the Manjura and not some elf who is without honour”

“That is not the plan and you know it!” came a voice from behind.

Strang turned around, it was the orc technician.

“But we have a tactical advantage over these humans” Strang retorted, “Why shouldn’t we continue the attack. I believe we can secure this pathogen ourselves, without having to trust to the guile of an elf and a human loving doppelganger”

“But that is not what the Lord High Troll ordered” the orc protested.
“The Lord High Troll is not here” Strang retorted

The orc narrowed his eyes at Strang, “His excellency thought you might disobey him” the orc went on , “So he authorised me if the occasion arose to”

Suddenly the orc sank to his knees, unable to use the handgun he had just produced.

Strang stepped aside as the orc fell forward, a combat knife in his back.

Another troll came up to Strang, “You were right about the orc sir” the troll told Strang.

Strang smiled, “Looks like Deltron was an unfortunate casualty in this operation against the humans”

“And by the way things are going sir, he was the only casualty” the other troll grinned
“Unless of course the elf and that doppelganger get killed in this action” Strang replied

“Unfortunately sir” the other troll went on, “those two are in the compound already”
“And were it not the case that we needed that pathogen thing, we could just level those buildings with our mortars” Strang sighed

+

As Callum and the doppelganger were ushered further from the action by the unsuspecting humans, it was becoming clear that something was not right. The sound of gunfire and incoming mortars was continuing long after Strang was supposed to order the ceasefire.

What was that fool Strang up to? Did he not realise he could end up destroying the vital pathogen weapon ordered by the Lord High Troll?

Now Callum had another worry, would that doppelganger manage to hold this form, or at least not arouse suspicion of the humans.

+ + +

An abandoned factory
Somewhere in London

The large man held Janine’s arm in an arm-lock as they watched the man who they called Quaylong hold out a deep blue orb.

Janine recognised the object from a captured one in the vaults back at the EAD, it was a dimension jump orb, But one being used by humans!!!

As Quaylong started to chant, in mid-air a blue dot appeared and started to increase in size.

“DROP YOUR WEAPONS” a shout came from behind

Janine felt herself being thrust forward as the large man pushed her to the ground so he could turn around to face whoever had shouted.

Janine could just about see from the ground where she lay at what was going on.

A green vortex had appeared in the abandoned factory.

Out of which two clean-up squad members had emerged

Janine watched as the large man called Travis pulled out his version of a samurai sword, screamed and ran at the clean-up squad swinging it ready to strike.

There was a burst of gunfire

Janine watched as the large man dropped his sword and fall to the ground.

Behind her was the sudden sound of a vortex closing up.

The others had taken advantage of the distraction caused by the man called Travis to escape through the blue vortex back to their own world.

By now two other members of the clean-up squad had emerged from the green vortex, one of them coming up to her pointing his gun at her, the other at the man they had just shot.

“It’s me Special Operations officer Sedlacek” Janine said to the clean-up squad member.

Just then there was the sound of flames, and instinctively Janine looked at where the sound had come from.

The man that had been called Travis had erupted into a fierce inferno, just the way that creatures from the long cut off Mystical Realms did when they died here on Earth.

Within seconds, the body of the large man had been reduced to ash.

The clean-up squad member next to Janine continued to point his gun at her.

“Excuse me if I don’t believe you” he growled.

“Would it help if I took my clothes off?” Janine replied

“It might” the clean-up squad member replied.

By now all the members of the clean-up squad were training their weapons on Janine, and she could understand why. For all they knew she was a doppelganger, and they had just seen what appeared to be a human burst into flames.

Slowly Janine stood up and began undressing.

First she unbuttoned her coat and dropped it to the ground and then she kicked off her shoes. Luckily she was not wearing any socks.

She pulled off her blouse and dropped that to the floor. Next, she undid her trousers and pushed them so they dropped down her legs and onto the floor.

She stepped out of them, unclipping her bra.

As the men pointed their guns at Janine, she took her bra off and then pushed her panties down and stepped out of them, so she was totally naked.

She then put her arms up in surrender.

One of the clean-up squad went over to Kevin’s body and knelt down as he examined it. He then shook his head.

The commander of the clean-up squad took out a radio, “Confirmed there was an incursion here, we have one human fatality and it appears one IDE fatality which is ash. We also have someone here claiming to be S-O-O Sedlacek”

Janine could not here the reply, but the commander told whoever it was on the other end that she had stripped naked to prove she was human.

There was the sound of a text on the commander’s cell phone. He pulled it out and looked at it.

“Stand down men” the commander called out, “It’s confirmed that is the S-O-O”

The commander walked up to Janine, “You can get dressed now” he told her, “they are sending round a van now”

Janine ignored her clothes lying on the floor, instead she asked the commander of the clean-up squad, “How did you manage to convert a wormhole generator to be a teleport device so fast, and how did you know to get over here?”
“They’ll explain that back at HQ” the commander replied, “Now please could you get dressed?”

“Is there any point if we are going back to the EAD I’ll only have to strip off again” Janine asked

“I would prefer it Miss if you got dressed” the commander replied in a blunt manner.

“Ok” Janine said rather crest fallen at the commander’s manner and then proceeded to get dressed again.

She then glanced at Kevin’s body, lying on the ground; a clean-up squad member was in attendance. Shook her head and swore quietly.

+ + +

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
Salisbury, Wiltshire
England

Callum knelt alongside the remaining civilian staff in the main canteen as the troll guards pointed their machine guns at them.

Callum looked at the body of a young woman who had merely tried to ask a question after their surrender.

Callum was seething with rage at Captain Strang, the plan had been to use deception to make the humans hand over the pathogen without them knowing it was gone. Now it would be obvious to the humans on this world what they were after, all because that stupid oaf Strang who wanted a bit of glory.

All he could hope for was that Padow the Lord High Troll might see this as insubordination, but then he remembered how Padow had explained the politics within the ruling Manjura clan. Strang was probably using this to oust the Lord High Troll in favour of himself.

Just on cue, as it were, Captain Strang walked in, accompanied by two more troll guards.

“Who is the leader of this facility” Strang said in a rough voice.

A bald headed man in his fifties nervously put up his hand, “I am the director of this laboratory” he said hesitantly.

Strang pulled out his pistol and shot the man right between the eyes, “Your surrender is accepted”

Callum glowered at Strang, but could do nothing, he expected that the next bullet would be for him after he had just done the typical tactic of killing any leader of a captured unit to show the others who was boss.

Strang walked over to Callum and placed his pistol to his head.

“What are you waiting for Strang” Callum said with venom, “Do you think Padow will award you a medal for this disobedience”

“I will get a medal elf” Strang replied back, “But it won’t be from that weakling Padow. When I come back with these prisoners and the super weapon to eliminate all humans, I will show what a better tactician I am than that runt. Not only will I have the Manjura elders eating out of my hand, but the other troll clans will fall in line and elect me Supreme Troll”

Strang cocked the pistol ready to fire again, “It was a pity that the humans killed you, the orc and that doppelganger scum” Strang went on, then Strang stopped, “Which one is the doppelganger?”

It was now that Strang realised that the human government minister form that the doppelganger had taken on when he had gone into the base was not present.

“There’s a dilemma Strang” Callum sneered, “As soon as I realised your treachery I ordered him to take another form, and only I know who he is”

“Then I will have everyone here killed and that will see to that human loving shape shifter” Strang retorted.

“And who will you test the pathogen on to ensure it will do the job?” Callum snapped back

“What do you mean you miserable elf?” Strang asked

“Is it not the aim to use a biological weapon to annihilate those humans that have been attacking our world with their magic?” Callum asked

Strang just grunted

“Surely you don’t deploy a weapon against a foe without testing it Strang?” Callum asked, “What if it didn’t work? You need these humans as test subjects”

“So we appear to be at an impasse” Strang glowered, “I kill you and I don’t know where that doppelganger is”
“That’s right” Callum replied in an arrogant tone, “And when they get back they will tell of your disobeying direct orders given by your clan leader” Callum went on, “If you hope to be a leader you need to show loyalty if you want to gain the favour and support of the clan elders”

Strang withdrew his pistol and approached the humans kneeling in surrender on the floor”

“You are prisoners of the Manjura Empire” Strang barked at the humans, “You are not fit to wear clothing because of the dishonour of your defeat at our hands. You will stand up and all strip off every last item of clothing”

“What!” Callum exclaimed
“You are not the only one who knows about doppelgangers” Strang said with a troll like smirk.

There was the sound of machine guns getting ready to fire

“I said Strip” Strang ordered.

At once the humans stood up and started to remove their clothes, some, especially the females were crying at the humiliation.

“After you have disrobed” Strang went on, “You will hand over live samples of Y Pestis and H1N1

Strang then turned back to Callum, “Oh yes” Strang said with a smile, “I believe I had some unfinished business”

At that, Strang pulled out his pistol, aimed at Callum and pulled the trigger, hitting the elf right between the eyes.

“Another casualty of the raid” one of the other trolls remarked.

“Shame that” Strang replied, “No wonder we had to go to this back up plan”

Strang looked up at the humans, they were all naked. Callum had either lied or the doppelganger was never in the room when he had been captured along with the humans.

Strang pointed a gun at one of the female humans, “You, do you know where the pathogens are that I asked for?” he demanded.

The woman shook her head in fear

Strang shot her dead on the spot

“I want those pathogens” Strang demanded loudly

A middle aged man raised his hand, “I have access, if you will let the others go”

Strang walked over to the man and placed his hands around the man’s neck and bent over to whisper in his ear, “Give me them and I will let the others live” he growled.

Strang ordered a troll to accompany him while the other trolls guarded the rest of the humans.

“What about the doppelganger?” one of the troll guards asked

“Those creatures are instinctive cowards” Strang said gruffly, “We will leave it behind, it is of no consequence”

At that Strang, with one of the troll guards forced the man out of the room in the direction of the section that housed the most dangerous pathogens known to humans on their world.

+ + +

The Castle Lodinium
(An unknown world)

Sir Timous of the Zacharan approached Lord Samail of the Petros Lands in the main hall.

“So how was your first trip to Earth, as they call that world” Lord Samail asked

Sir Timous paused for a moment, “It did not go as I would have liked my liege”

“What happened?” Lord Samail asked with concern in his voice.

“I got Quaylong to take us to a troll entry point which supposedly had been used recently”
“And?” Lord Samail enquired.
“It took us to a ruined building where we found two heretical humans, a man and a wench. They were also investigating the trolls entry to that world at that the ruin. Jamaal dispatched the man and we disarmed the wench and were about to bring her back here for you to interrogate further”
“Why would I want to do that?” Lord Samail asked
“Because” Sir Timous went on, “She claims that the trolls attacked them also at some citadel where they deal with incursions from outside of their world”

“After what we said” Lord Samail said with an accusing tone, “are you suggesting an alliance with these heretics? Did we not go into how their technology could lead to the destruction of our society?”

“By no means my liege” Sir Timous replied, “As the trolls had long since gone from that place I had hoped that I could bring the Wench back here. Then we could find out what effort they put in to deal with the troll menace, in case we could use that against the trolls and if need be deal with these heretics”

“A valid reason I suppose, Sir Timous, so what went wrong?” Lord Samail asked further

“A small army came through a gate similar to the one the trolls used” Sir Timous answered, “except their gate was green like the gates the trolls use instead of our blue ones. This small army was armed with projectile weapons similar to the ones used by the trolls. Travis let go of the wench and charged at them giving us time to escape. The last I saw was how he died a more valiant death than I would deserve for running away like a coward”

Sir Timous pulled out his sword and handed the scabbard end to Lord Samail, “I will understand if you declare my life forfeit and wish another to return to the world of the heretics”

Lord Samail took the sword, but immediately returned it.

“I don’t understand my liege?” Sir Timous objected, “I made a cowardly escape whilst Travis showed his worth by dying a hero in glorious battle”

“You merely made a tactical withdrawal in the face of a superior adversary” Lord Samail told Sir Timous, “A true coward would never own up to being one, and would seek to justify their actions. By coming here, you tell us one thing, our enemies the trolls must be after a weapon, if they are attacking places these heretics have set up to counter such incursions into their world. This makes it vital that you return there to find out what it might be and to destroy it along with any heretics who may have knowledge of such a weapon”

“I am grateful for your faith in me My liege, will not fail you again” Sir Timous asserted and then said in a quieter tone, “I will need however another warrior mercenary to replace the one who gave his life”

“If these heretics are in conflict with the trolls, as it seems from what you report” Lord Samail continued, “A replacement for Travis will not suffice, you will need to be more armed than you were. I will engage all the sorcerers I command. I will make sure you and those you lead into battle on that heretic world, are impervious to the weapons of these heretics. It is obvious, when you enter the world of the heretics again, you must go in with overwhelming magic superiority, just like the way we have been winning in our war over the trolls and those other non-human races. Technology is one thing, Sir Timous, but magic will always win out over it as technology can only operate in the natural world.”

“Once again” Sir Timous replied, “I am grateful that you are giving me this second chance”

+ + +

The Entity Affairs Directorate
South London, England

It had been a sad and lonely journey back to the EAD headquarters. Janine had had to sit in the back of a clean-up squad van with the body of Kevin and three other clean-up squad members. A fourth had been tasked with driving the car back to the EAD, as Janine was not yet been cleared for driving official vehicles. Her original driving licence was in the name of someone who supposedly committed suicide in Holloway Prison and a new one still had to be sorted out.

As she had looked at the body bag in which Kevin had been placed, his death started to hit home, and a tear rolled down her face.

She kept on wondering what she did wrong, and how she should have done things differently, plus who were those men who seemed to use magic?

And now she stood outside reception of the main building.

Quietly Janine entered the main front doors.

Once again the familiar electronic voice announced which locker her clothes would go into, and in silence Janine stripped off and placed her clothes in the locker before heading to the lift.

After passing the voice identification in the lift, it started to descend. After an eternity, the lift doors opened onto the EAD command centre.

She was met by Derek a man in his late thirties, he was wearing a smock and offered her a smock and flip-flops. It was obvious that he had been asked to fill in for Katrina, who had been killed by the troll incursion.

For a brief moment Janine wondered if she should for once accept the paper smock, even though she was allergic to them and they made her itch. Perhaps she deserved some discomfort because of Kevin’s death at the hands of the magic using humans.

Janine shook her head, “Thanks anyway Derek” she told him, “Those things make me itch, that’s why I work naked”

“Ok Miss Sedlacek” Derek replied, “Although I have to say, there are some of us who find that distracting”
“Well that’s your problem” Janine snapped back angrily, “You get us some paper clothes that don’t make us break out in hives and perhaps we might consider wearing them”

Derek shook his head and turned to go away, but then turned back, “Mr Matthews wants to see you in his office” he told her and then he left.

Janine felt angry and upset. She had witnessed the death of one of the few men that understood what it was like to be unable to wear those paper garments that were vital in security against doppelganger assassins and all Derek was concerned about was being put off by a few naked women

Janine walked through the command centre, looking at some of the other members of staff. Some glanced at her and she heard comments about how bruised her face looked. Some however were too absorbed in their work, probably trying to cobble some kind of replacement for the now destroyed Sky-Guard system.

Then Janine stopped and looked at Kevin’s work station.

Never would Kevin work at it again.

Only that morning Janine had teased Kevin about his manhood and how allergenic responses to the paper smocks made them work naked at the EAD, but that seemed a lifetime ago.

It had been a long day

First there was the destruction of the first Sky-Guard Satellite, then of the whole network, the attack by the trolls; the visit to the minister and then that trip back to where the trolls first invaded their world, which resulted in Kevin’s death at the hands of men who used magic.

Janine shook her head and headed on over to Drake’s office.

She opened the door and got the shock of her life, even though she knew this was coming.

Standing there wearing a paper smock next to Drake sitting at his desk, was a platinum blonde woman of similar age to her.

It was Doctor Charlene Henshaw, the one woman whose career in science had been destroyed by Janine’s father, when he had sent a clean-up squad to CERN, which had killed several civilian staff.

Janine could not think what to say.

“You!” Doctor Charlene said with venom

“I” Janine stuttered out before Charlene interrupted

“Spare me your pathetic apologies Janine” Charlene spat out, “I thought you had topped yourself in a prison cell”

“Doctor Henshaw!” Drake interrupted, “That’s enough. It was Miss Sedlacek who took out Sir Sidney Gerald.”
“Yeah but didn’t the Brigadier General say she said I could be deleted from his artificial universe along with Celeste and her baby”

“That was never going to happen” Drake snapped back, “Janine was working for us”

“And was she working for you when her father had my friend Sue-Lim arrested by the FBI?” Charlene went on, “Was she working for you when her father manipulated Celeste into delivering her a cursed scarf that tried to make Sue-Lim kill herself?”

Drake was silent for a moment.

There was nothing Janine could do or say about that. During her father’s reign of terror when he had infiltrated just about every security service going and was dealing with dissident loyalist paramilitaries, Janine along with her half-brother Adrian were her father’s right hand men, it were. Even if Janine and Adrian had been biding their time before taking that monster down for what he had done to their mother.

“That’s ancient history” Drake spoke up, “and it was Sir Sidney who arranged that, not Miss Sedlacek, besides, we have a new threat and we can’t afford past recriminations and going over old ground”

Charlene glowered at Drake

“I’m sorry Doctor Henshaw” Drake went on, “But both the minister and your former CO both want you working with us on dealing with this threat by the trolls. We are not sure why after the American’s short-lived policy of engagement they have turned on us and why they have now killed five of our people”

“Maybe there has been another coup” Charlene suggested
“You mean like the one that brought that Brameana troll to power in that alternate timeline?” Drake asked
“How they got past the radiation barrier?” Charlene commented

It was only then that Janine could find her voice, “They weren’t trolls” she whispered, “They were men, using magic”

“What?” Drake asked, “When your detector picked up the strong residue of a wormhole and radioed it in automatically we just assumed the trolls were coming back there”

“Yeah” Charlene interjected, “And like a fool I showed them how to use an old wormhole generator as a teleport device”

“That was how the clean-up squad got there” Drake cut in, “But what do you mean by people”

“Like I said sir” Janine went on, “There were four men, they were all dressed in suits but they were carrying weapons such as swords, crossbows and daggers and one of them was using magic”

“That’s impossible” Drake retorted, “Maybe they were doppelgangers”

“But doppelgangers cannot use magic” Janine protested, “That was the province of the fairer races like the elves, the drow, and the leprechauns”

“There were no humans on IDW01 who used magic” Drake insisted

“Much though I hate to agree with her, but I’m afraid I have to concur” Charlene interrupted, “From our experience doppelgangers never used magic, they don’t have that ability”

“There’s one other thing sir” Janine interrupted back, “One of the Clean-up squad shot one of the men and he burst into flames”

“Huh?” Drake replied.

“I’m not making this up sir” Janine protested, “Ask the clean-up squad they will confirm what I saw”

“And we have the dead bodies of trolls in our sub-basement” Drake muttered.

“What?” Charlene asked, “Trolls using technology and not incinerating when killed, but humans doing so and using magic?”

“It looks that way” Drake commented

“But that’s what was reported” Janine insisted, “The trolls that attacked here used their own version of artificial wormhole generators and guns, the humans that killed Kevin were using magic and as I said I saw one of them incinerate when he was taken down”

Charlene shook her head before speaking again, “You know the other name for IDW01?”

Drake narrowed his eyes, “I believe that Mr Andrews called it The Mystical Realms. It’s a pity that Ireland refuses to hand him over when we sort to extradite him”

“Why?” Charlene interrupted, “Mr Andrews wants to have nothing further to do with that place, is this because he helped humiliate the old IDEC?”

“Sorry” Drake replied, “I digress, you were making a point Doctor Henshaw?”

“Oh right” Charlene responded, “It sounds almost like we are dealing with another Mystical Realms, but one where the magic is done by humans”

“And the trolls?” Drake asked

“Another universe completely to IDW01” Charlene answered
“Yeah” Janine piped up, “When the last Sky-Guard satellite was destroyed we discovered that the wormhole they used to attack it came from somewhere totally different”

“If this were the field of particle physics” Charlene continued, “It would seem like proof of what we call Super Symmetry with Super Symmetric particles”

Both Drake and Janine were silent, So Charlene thought she better explain, “In normal matter in addition to electrons we fermions and bosons. The fermions are effectively particles of stuff like protons, neutrons or quarks, and bosons are partivles which carry forces, like the photon is the particle that transmits the electromagnetic force, the gluon the strong nuclear force, the W and the Z for the Weak nuclear force and of course the theoretical Higgs boson which is supposed to give particles mass. In super-symmetry, for every type of boson there exists a corresponding type of fermion with the same mass and internal quantum numbers, and vice-versa. It’s all theoretical, because even though they are predicted by the standard model these super-symmetric particles have never been observed”

“I remember reading about Super-Symmetry a while back” Janine interrupted.

For a moment Charlene glowered at Janine.

“As I was saying” Charlene went on, “We are a human world using technology and so this other world which Janine says she saw humans using magic, and whose bodies combust when they die here must be our super-symmetric partner”

“And the technological trolls must be the super-symmetric partners of IDW01” Drake interrupted

“Exactly” Charlene agreed, “It is as if all four worlds are behaving like the standard model, and since we started at the Big Bang as a super dense particle”

Drake interrupted again, “This is all very interesting Doctor Henshaw but how does this help us?”

“Maybe it the other way around” Janine murmured

“What do you mean?” Drake asked.

“Maybe these technological trolls are our super symmetric partners and the world of humans using magic”

“So you’re an expert in particle physics now?” Charlene interrupted

“Well I know how to construct an artificial universe” Janine snapped back before realising what she was saying.

“Enough!” Drake said angrily, “Does it matter who is what? We have two incursions now by beings from two other universes; both have taken action that we must consider hostile. The question is why and what do we do about it?”

“They seem to be at war with the trolls” Janine offered, “The magic using people called them troll scum, referred to them as enemies”

“So we are caught piggy in the middle” Drake observed

“And if the trolls attacked first” Charlene came back on
“That means these magic using humans are reacting to something the trolls have done” Drake completed, “Which brings us back to where were are, What do we do about it”

“Maybe the trolls are after some kind of weapon we have, to use against the magic using humans” Charlene answered

“Well if this is a war, maybe we should pick a side?” Drake suggested

Janine shook her head, “No” she uttered, “bad idea”

“Why not?” Drake asked, “The trolls attacked first, these humans could believe they were operating in self-defence”

“You didn’t hear how they spoke sir” Janine insisted, “It was like back in the dark ages before women’s rights, they referred to me as a slave girl”

“I’m afraid I have to agree with Janine” Charlene interjected, “If we back any side, then the other will declare war on us, and we have no idea how the side we chose to back will be to us”

“Well the trolls have already done that” Drake answered back, “They attacked us first remember? They were the ones that attacked this command centre”

“But if they are after something we possess that they believe could be used as a weapon against them” Charlene insisted, “they could claim self-defence. What we have to do is come up with some-way to block access to our world from both universes so they can’t drag us into their war”

A phone rang on Drake’s desk

“Audrey” Drake yelled through the door, “Can’t you take a message?”

“It’s Sir Andrew Kneller” a reply came through the door.

“Great!” Drake said with irritation and picked up the phone

“Sir Andrew?” Drake said into the phone

Janine could not hear what was being said, but from Drake’s usually impassive face, she could tell it was something serious.

Drake picked up a TV remote control and pointed it at the television in the office.

It came on to a news channel.

It was breaking news about a terrorist attack on Porton Down, after someone coming in for a night shift came and discovered the carnage.

“Do you want us to come” Drake said into the phone

Janine could not hear the reply, but it seemed to be in the negative.

“Alpha team are a good team” Drake replied to the inaudible voice, “I’m sure they will contain things and make sure the media run with an Al-Qaida attack”

Janine recognised the name of one of the more expert Clean-up squads. Rumour had it that they were made up of members from the clean-up squads in the old days of the IDEC UK base before the Americans briefly took it over.

Then Janine saw Drake’s face turn to one of utter astonishment as he stood up suddenly.

“Bring it here, Alive” Drake said in a firm tone, “We need to work out what the trolls are after” he added before putting the phone down.

“What’s happened?” Charlene asked.

“It seems that someone, most likely trolls, have attacked The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and stolen a number of highly lethal pathogens”

“Casualties?” Janine asked nervously

“Heavy” Drake replied, “It was a full armed assault team by the sound of it. They slaughtered all the guards and it seems that some of the scientists are unaccounted for, my guess is that they have been taken back to the trolls own world. One of the dead at the laboratory is not human or even a troll”

“What is it?” Charlene asked
“An elf” Drake answered

“Any survivors?” Janine then asked

“One” Drake said with the sound of astonishment still in his voice, “A doppelganger, who has given himself up and is asking for asylum”

To Be continued

[Sticks]

Episode V– Discordant Ideals

Spoiler:

Ever been surprised by someone’s behaviour or perhaps untimely death? Some years ago a number of ordinary people in the US were found to be Russian spy sleeper agents. Until then nobody knew.

To those at Entity Awareness Directorate, after a horrendous day which has seen the destruction of the Sky-Guard satellite system and the deaths of five members at the hands of trolls using technology and humans using magic, they have received bizarre news.

After a successful raid by a troll army using technology on Porton Down, to steal lethal pathogens, news has been received that the only survivor has been a doppelganger, requesting asylum

+ + +

Heathrow Terminal Five Arrivals
London

The figure of a greyed haired man in his late fifties emerged from the terminal building after he had flown all the way from the United States on the Red Eye. He was carrying a small overnight bag that he had been able to take as carry-on luggage, one to speed things up and two because he did not have much faith in the baggage system at this airport.

The American looked out across the number of cars that were picking people up and dropping them off. His instructions said he was going to be picked up, but he could not see anyone looking for him, or holding a card with his name on.

He fished in his pocket for an old cell phone he used to have when he once worked in the UK and switched it on.

He gazed at it for a few seconds and then heard the sound of a text message coming in.

He checked it; it was merely the phone company trying to advertise a special deal, long since expired.

Just then his cell phone he used in the US rang.

He pulled it from his pocket and looked at who was calling. The number was withheld.

The American switched the phone on and answered it by saying “Hello”

“The Blue Ford in the car park opposite, amongst a number of black cars” a voice came over the phone before it cut out.

The American put the phone in his pocket again and headed for the main car park.

After about five minutes he found the car that had been described. The black cars looked as though they all belonged to the same organisation. Probably placed there to make sure the target blue ford was easily identifiable without having to give out too much information over an unsecure channel.

The American approached the car on the right hand side, forgetting for a moment that the British drove on the left, and then realised his error, however on looking in the window saw that there was no driver.

He felt a gun in his back and heard the sound of it being made ready to fire.

“The car by the passenger side door, get in the back” came the sound of a gruff London accent.

“Geoffrey Wilkinson” The American replied, “So they took you back then”

“Just get in the car Yank” the voice behind said with irritation, “And don’t get funny. You are old and slow, and the only reason I have not put a bullet in your feeble brain is because of orders”.

Suddenly the American used his carry-on luggage to make an initial strike on the man behind and was able to turn round and completely disarm the Londoner, knocking the man to the ground and then using the man’s nine millimetre automatic to point at him.

“Whose too slow now” the American told the man on the ground he had identified as Geoffrey Wilkinson”

“Brigadier General” another mail voice called out.

It was the driver of the black car to the left of the blue car.

“We are kind of pushed for time” the driver of the car said in an irritated manner.

The American took the clip from the gun and threw it at the driver. The driver caught it easily with his right hand. The American then tossed the gun at the man on the ground and went round to the black car.

“Didn’t you fail to get the job that Mr Blue got at the old IDEC UK?” the American asked.

“Just get in” the driver retorted as he held open the back seat.

“I prefer to ride shotgun” The American replied and opened the front passenger door.

“Whatever” the driver replied as he closed the back door and walked round the back of the car to the driver’s seat. Just before he got in he noticed that the other man was heading to the car”

“Make your own way back Mr Wilkinson” the driver retorted, “And when you do, I expect you to spend the rest of the day practicing unarmed combat. You let an older man get the drop on you which is a disgrace.”

The man glowered at the driver, before turning around and heading back to the airport terminal.

The driver got in and closed the door

“That was a bit harsh” the American told the driver
“I should have shot him myself” the driver said with venom, “There is no way he should be a clean-up squad member if he can let someone like you disarm him like that”

“From what I heard on the flight” the American replied, “You need every man you have”

+ + +

The Castle Lodinium
(An unknown world)

Lord Samail of the Petros Lands walked along the battlements of his castle with Sir Timous of the Zacharan in the cool morning air.

“How was your night here?” Lord Samail asked
“It was good My liege” Sir Timous, “The wench you sent me knew how to please me”
“Did you let this one live?” Lord Samail asked in a quiet manner
“I thought about dispatching this one” Sir Timous replied, “But as she was so skilled, I spared her this time”

“When we have dispatched the troll offensive” Lord Samail went on, “I may give her to you, I acquired her from a noble who was behind on his feudal dues”

The two walked in silence for a few more steps before Lord Samail broke the silence again, “I’m afraid that finding a mercenary warrior at such short notice is more of a challenge than I realised”

“I understand my Liege” Sir Petros replied, “I do bitterly regret that I lost Travis to the heretics”

“You were ambushed by a more heavily armed foe Sir Timous, it can happen to anyone” Lord Samail answered, “If anything it was my failing for sending you ill prepared with inadequate magic support”

“So how goes it with your sorcerers?” Sir Timous asked

Lord Samail stopped and turned to Sir Timous and smiled, “Along with Quaylong, they were up well into the night preparing the magic armour for you, the men you will lead, and the magic weapons you will use that will be effective against troll and heretics alike.”

“I am most grateful to their skills and your generosity my Liege” Sir Timous replied, “As for men that I will lead back to that heretic world, Jamaal and Quaylong will have to suffice on this quest I suppose” Sir Timous added wistfully

“You will have more than a sorcerer and an assassin” Lord Samail replied.
“But I thought you said” Sir Timous began

“I may not be able to find a mercenary warrior at short notice like Travis was” Lord Samail went on, “But I have a assigned to you a contingent of ten of my most loyal guards for you to command”

“That is very generous of you” Sir Timous replied, “But if the other nobles found out that you are down, will not some try their hand against you?”

“I still have enough left to defend this castle” Lord Samail replied, “No one would dare challenge me here in Lodinium, not when I hold most of their daughters, wives and sisters hostage”

“Very well my liege” Sir Timous replied, “I promise I will not fail you this time. I would rather die first”

“I know” Lord Samail replied, “You have always been one of my most loyal lieutenants, but tell me, the Trolls have made a number of incursions into that world, which entry point will you investigate next?”

Sir Timous looked out over the battlements at the large river in the distance and at the boats that plied it’s waters.

“From what Quaylong was able to find out last night my Liege before he joined with the other sorcerers that the trolls had left the world of the Heretics” Sir Timous went on, “There may be little point going to their last place of entry”

“So?” Lord Samail pressed

“That heretic wench we encountered” Sir Timous went on, “she said how the trolls attacked their place, a place that monitors incursions into their world”

“And what would be the point of that place?” Lord Samail asked

“For one, we can avenge Travis” Sir Timous said with anger in his voice, “If they came from that place, then those heretics must pay”

“Be careful Sir Timous” Lord Samail cautioned, “Vengeance seldom comes cheap and can distract from the mission to find out what weapon these heretics have that the trolls are after”

“That is my second point my Liege” Sir Timous responded, “If these trolls have attacked this world of heretics then they may have an idea what the trolls may be after, if the trolls now have it and what is it’s nature”

“That sounds reasonable Sir Timous” Lord Samail agreed, “But what if they do not know what the trolls are after? They may not be aware what the trolls are after or that what the trolls may have taken could be used as a weapon”

Sir Timous thought for a moment, “Those heretics are just as human as you and I my Liege, and both they and the accursed trolls use heretical technology and not noble magic. Any weapon that can be used against us can also be used against the heretics. If the trolls have or are trying to capture it then it will be related to heretical technology and those heretics should know what it is”

“But Sir Timous” Lord Samail pressed, “No heretical technology so far has proved a match for our superior magic”

“Indeed My liege” Sir Timous replied, “And I believe we will be able to eradicate all the trolls and their non-human allies using the deepest and darkest magic we have, but the trolls already know of our magic. This weapon they seek could be something our magic may not be able to counter, otherwise why go to that effort?”

Lord Samail also looked out and sucked air through his teeth, “You have a point there Sir Timous” he told Sir Timous, “A raid by one technological foe on another world cursed with technology smacks of desperation at least. Very well, as soon as our sorcerers have the last of the items ready and my troops are armed accordingly then you need to head back to Earth, to that stronghold of the heretics. Go in hard and take them down. See what they know. After you have gleaned what you can, dispose of them as you see fit”

+ + +

The Entity Affairs Directorate
South London, England

Janine stood in the reception of the EAD completely naked waiting for Drake to come back with the almost legendary Brigadier General Samuel Peters. Drake usually expected EAD personnel to be fully dressed once they left reception, but this was still in reception, not outside of it. She would only have to undress again when the brigadier general arrived, so she did not see the point of getting dressed. Besides, working naked was now almost second nature, at least at the EAD it was.

Janine had met the Brigadier General twice.

The first time she met him was when her father Sir Sidney Gerald had captured him when her father had finally acquired briefly the Shears of Atropos and then when her father had insisted the Brigadier General was part of a negotiation team for Sir Sidney Gerald’s plan to reunite Earth and the Mystical Realms.

Just then a platinum blond woman came in through the front door. It was Doctor Charlene Henshaw. The electronic voice in the celling greeted her and told her which locker to place her clothes in.

Charlene for the moment chose to ignore the electronic voice and glowered at Janine.

Janine swallowed hard and moved back a little. This was one person she felt uncomfortable meeting because of what her father had done to her and to her friends.

“So he’s not here yet then” Charlene snapped at Janine

Janine shook her head.

“So when’s he due?” Charlene asked

“His flight should have landed at Heathrow an hour ago” Janine replied softly.

“And you decided that you’re the one to meet him?” Charlene asked with incredulity, “after what you put him through last time?”

“Mr Matthews asked me to meet him here” Janine answered
“Well I don’t think the first person from here to meet the Brigadier General should be someone like you” Charlene spat out

“I’m not, Doctor Henshaw, Mr Matthews is collecting him from the airport” Janine quietly replied
“I thought he would send a driver to pick him up” Charlene questioned
“So did I but Mr Matthews insisted it should be him” Janine responded.

Charlene again glowered at Janine in an uneasy standoff for a moment between the two women, and then she started to undress

“Well I’m not letting you meet him alone” Charlene told Janine as she removed her last item of clothing and placed it in the locker.

“I would never have deleted you” Janine offered

Charlene put her palm up to Janine, “Just don’t” she said curtly to Janine.

Janine felt awkward at this rebuff, there was never going to be anything she could say or do that would placate Doctor Henshaw. Thanks to her father Sir Sidney Gerald there had been too much hurt inflicted on Charlene and her friends.

Drake had been right the previous day, Janine had never planned to delete Charlene or that Celeste girl and her baby from the artificial universe her father had got her to set up. Her plan had been to substitute another artificial universe from the min controls to make it look like they had been deleted. Drake her handler had insisted there were to be no casualties unless authorised, until she had the chance to dispatch her father the way she did.

But there would be no way Charlene would accept that. What Janine and Drake did not mention to Charlene was that she and Celeste and her child were to have been detained at Her Majesty’s Pleasure as it were for being a possible threat. The unexpected rescue mission from the US had put paid to that part of the plan.

The other problem Charlene had with Janine was that she had been on her father’s payroll when he had set in motion a plan to kill one of Charlene’s friends, Sue-Lim Wang. There was also the little factor of those CERN employees that her father’s clean up squad had killed, which ended Charlene’s career in science.

The two women therefore stood naked and in stony silence waiting for Drake to come back from Heathrow with Brigadier Samuel Peters in tow.

+ + +

The Troll City of Power
The Manjura Empire

Padow the Lord High Troll stood amongst a number of the Manjura Troll elders on the troll army parade ground and glared at Captain Strang, Captain Strang was parading the dejected humans in chains and naked before the Lord High Troll and the Manjura elders. There was no real need for this, but Strang wanted to put on a show and drive a point home. As some of the elders were obviously patrons of Strang, Padow had to let him conduct this pointless charade of a ceremony.

Captain Strang pointed back to one of his loyal troll soldiers who was holding a silver briefcase. “In there, Respected Manjura Elders and my Lord High Troll, Slayer of Worlds” Strang went on with a hint of sarcasm in his voice when he mentioned Padow’s title, “Are the most lethal pathogens as you call them to the human pestilence. These will bring us ultimate victory over all humans everywhere”

“And what of Callum” Padow asked with venom, where is he and that doppelganger? What about the orc Deltron?”

“A tragic consequence of any action Lord High Troll” Strang went on, “is that there are bound to be casualties. The humans saw straight through him and I was forced to come up with an alternate plan, and sadly Deltron was one of those killed by the human guards before we could neutralise them”

“Is that so” Padow asked with a sceptical tone, “It does seem odd Captain that only the trolls survived this mission.”

“Like I said Lord High Troll, there are bound to be casualties in any action. The elf and the orc were not as experienced as my trolls in the ways of battle, that probably was why they were slain at the hands of the human scum”

Padow growled but could say nothing. He suspected Strang of foul play, but without proof, he would have a hard time convincing a number of the Manjura elders to abandon their protégé in the wings as it were. Padow had obviously underestimated Captain Strang. He would have to move against various elders one by one to remove Strang’s power base and yet be careful not to arouse the suspicion of the rest.

“So Captain” Padow then asked, “Why did you take prisoners? I thought you never did”

Captain Strang smiled at Padow, “Well Respected Manjura Elders and my Lord High Troll, once the orc specialists get to look at these pathogens they will need subjects to test the weapon on”

“That’s a very good point Captain Strang” one of the Manjura elders replied.

Padow resented this intervention as it made Strang look good in the eyes of the others. When he went after Strang’s benefactors, that elder would be first on his list.

“Excuse me” One of the other elders asked, “What is a pathogen?”

“It is something that will make those miserable humans sick and die in huge numbers” Padow growled back in answer to the elder’s question.

“But I thought the humans had magic that could cure diseases” the elder persisted.

This was not good; a Manjura elder was questioning Padow’s master plan. It could make him look incompetent as Lord High Troll and possibly give an opening for Strang.

“Elder Charam” Padow said slowly and deliberately, “Their magic is only effective against what these humans here would call bacteria. One of the pathogens we have acquired”

“What my trolls have acquired” Strang interrupted.

Padow briefly glared at Strang, before continuing, “One of the pathogens is a virus, it attacks the humans in a totally different way and their magic will be of no use. Our orc technicians will mix the virus with the other pathogen which is a bacteria”

“If they can counter the bacteria what is the point?” the elder questioned further.

“The bacteria will assist the initial spread of the virus as well as doing damage itself before their magic can be used” Padow replied, “Even when they counter the bacteria with their magic, the virus will be out there killing these vermin once and for all.”

“And you are certain this will be effective in the war against the humans” the Manjura troll elder persisted.

“The bacteria itself several hundred years ago virtually wiped out all of the humans on one of their land masses called You-Rope” Padow explained in a weary manner, “The virus is derived from one that afflicted the humans just after what they called their World War One and it killed more than that war ever did” Padow continued, “The unique combination will destroy the humans attacking us and then we will unleash it on the world these pathetic humans in front of us came from”

“But they do not have magic” another troll elder spoke up, “Would that be a waste of troll power, after all they have not attacked us”

Padow turned round to face the elder, his face full of rage, “They are humans and therefore they must die” he spat out with venom.

“Indeed they must” a number of the other elder murmured against their colleague.

“Elder Joram” Strang spoke up, “The humans from the world we got the pathogens have technology to cross worlds just like us. In fact they even had their own devices circling their world, high up to detect when anyone enters their world.”

“I ordered the destruction of those devices” Padow cut back in, “So we would be able to obtain the pathogens to exterminate the human vermin without their interference.”

“They could still be a threat” Strang interrupted.

Again Padow glowered at Strang before growling out, “Indeed they could. We will only be safe and victorious when every last human is dead. Now Captain Strang, take the prisoners to the dungeon and the pathogens to our orc technicians, we have no time to lose”

Captain Strang Saluted and then went to give orders to the other trolls to move the surviving humans from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory to the dungeons to await their fate”

+ + +

The Entity Affairs Directorate
South London, England

The car Brigadier Samuel Peters was in, passed the final security check, the sniffer to detect explosives. It had been fairly poignant as Samuel had been nominally in charge of the UK Inter Dimensional Entity Control headquarters in North London, known as the Facility when it had been destroyed by a lorry bomb in the underground car park. The device had been triggered by the arrival of a wormhole from IDW01 when Captain Strang had been trying to return to Earth after being asked to do a special mission by the Clan Chief of the Manjura.

The driver was the current head of this South London set up, Drake Matthews. Drake had refused to engage in conversation about IDW01, other possible parallel worlds or why Samuel had had his Persona Non Grata status in the UK rescinded and had been invited by the British Ministry of Defence to work with their new set up.

Drake had insisted that Samuel did not know whether their lips were being read by some covert camera or not.

It had seemed very over the top, even for the British secret service.

At least Drake had handed to him a nine millimetre automatic handgun, Samuel had insisted on carrying a side arm just as he did when he was head of IDEC UK.

The car came to a stop outside of the entrance to the new British facility for dealing with inter-dimensional entities. How they could be an issue when the way to IDW01 or the Mystical Realms as some called it, was still blocked by a lethal radiation barrier, puzzled Samuel, were they worried that Sir Sidney Gerald’s idea of trying to skirt the radiation barrier by going via IDW02, a world based on a favourite TV programme of a rouge UK IDEC technician, was a serious threat?

A man approached the car as Drake and Samuel got out of the car.

“Take the car back to the pool” Drake ordered the man.

The man said a “Yes sir” and got in the car and drove it off while Samuel looked at the outside of the reception building.

“Is it safe to talk now” Samuel asked
“I would prefer to discuss matters inside” Drake replied in a brusque manner
“I heard on the plan that your Porton Down has been attacked, if I remember that was a bio warfare facility” Samuel persisted
“Like I said” Drake replied, “Inside”

Samuel followed Drake in to the building, there was no use trying to get anything out of him until there were inside. This guy was seriously paranoid.

As Samuel got in he was met by the site of one of his former people at the US IDEC, Doctor Charlene Henshaw, and the illegitimate daughter of that dirt bag the long dead and unlamented Sir Sidney Gerald.

Both women were stark naked

“Doctor Henshaw where are your clothes?” Samuel asked in shocked surprise.

“It’s part of their security protocol here Sam” Charlene replied, “It’s to defend against possible intrusions by IDE47’s”

Just then Samuel heard an electronic voice in the ceiling call out Drake’s name and a number. It seemed to be that of a locker that Drake was starting to place his clothes in.

As Drake undressed he called out, “MARTHA, New member of EAD, Pass code Phi Gamma Tau”

“Will the new member please say their name in full” the electronic voice came

“Brigadier General Samuel Peters Retired of the United States Marine Corps” Samuel replied

“Mr Matthews please will you confirm identity” The voice called out.

“I confirm” Drake called out

The electronic voice then called out Samuel’s name and a locker opened up in the wall. For a moment Samuel stared at the open locker.

“You need to take all your clothes off Sam and put them in there” Charlene told Samuel

“Like Hell I will” Samuel rebuffed her, “I’m surprised you are going long with this Doctor Henshaw”

“It’s standard security protocol against doppelgangers” Drake explained, “You yourself pioneered the idea that doppelgangers mimicked clothes instead of wearing them”

“So you make people strip off to prove they’re human?” Samuel asked
“Yes” Drake answered back, “Do I have to remind you of what happened at the old Facility when you were in charge? So get undressed”
“I remember that all too well, but even after we took out the dirt bag who brought in those doppelgangers we never insisted our staff worked naked”

“Sam” Charlene intervened, “It’s their show now, I think we ought to comply”
“Exactly” Drake sneered, “Even one of your own people is going along with our security procedures”

“Don’t you remember the USS Bataan?” Samuel asked Charlene

“How could I ever forget what you did to Sue-Lim in that time line” Charlene replied with a tint of anger

“I take it you are referring to the alternate timeline where you lost Earth to that troll?” Drake sneered
“Yes I remember that” Charlene continued, “That was after you had three of your own team freezing to death after you told them to strip naked”
“That was that idiot of the captain who would not believe me” Samuel countered. Samuel then turned to Drake, “We then used a thermal imaging camera which proved they were human. Doppelgangers give of a unique heat signature, so you can tell who are the real humans and they don’t have to strip. Show me a doppelganger and a human side by side and I can show you what to look for using one”

“Well we never got that information about thermal cameras and Doppelgangers from you Yanks” Drake replied
“Because when time was reset those b*****ds on the Hill that shut us down were never interested in recording that or passing anything on.”

“We have a doppelganger here in the cell block” Janine cut in, “He arrived last night, he surrendered”

Samuel frowned for a moment, “Well like I said, get a thermal imaging camera and I can show you what to look for, there is no need to make people strip naked to prove they are human”

“Well Brigadier General, even if we had that information” Drake told Samuel, “with cutbacks, getting people to strip is cheaper and easier, now get undressed”

Samuel shook his head, “You expect me to work naked and work with people working naked? No way! If your bean counters have insisted on this, then I’m leaving”

Samuel headed for the door

“MARTHA” Drake called out, “Anti-IDE measures override authorisation code Gamma Tau Zeta. Open lockers for Miss Sedlacek and Doctor Henshaw”

Samuel turned around.

Drake started to get dressed again and Charlene and Janine were now pulling out their clothes and getting dressed”

“If I or Doctor Henshaw are going to help you out” Samuel went on, “You’re going to install thermal cameras and give up this stripping off nonsense. In the US we would not even let Celeste work that naked when she offered to as some form of atonement. In the US there is no way we would have tolerated this”

“You made your point Brigadier General” Drake snapped back, “But I have to warn you that there are a few down below who regularly work unclothed. We provide paper smocks for all employees but those individuals choose not to wear them”

“Why” Samuel asked

“Because they give us a rash” Janine answered without thinking.

“Well get those people to come and collect their clothes” Samuel ordered

“Brigadier General you are not in charge here” Drake responded, “I am”
“And you’re minister asked me to come in and assist” Samuel replied, “so get over it”

“They can collect their clothes when they finish their shift” Drake insisted
“Then their shifts have just ended” Samuel replied.
“To enable that requires serious reprogramming of our security system” Drake protested
“Then get your techs on it” Samuel countered, “Or grant external access and I will get one of my former people to do the job for you”

“Sir” Charlene interrupted, “In light of the attack on Porton Down we need to get on”

“Ok Doctor Henshaw we had better get down to the command centre” Drake growled
“That sounds like a plan” Samuel growled back

The four, now fully dressed entered the lift and each gave their voice identification to make sure the lift did not pump in nerve gas.

The lift descended to the bottom and the door opened.

Once again, there was Derek in a paper smock, carrying four other smocks for them to wear.

“Oh so you won’t be needing these then” Derek sniffed discourteously

“That will be all Mr Johnson” Drake told him, “Our American guest here believes he has an alternative way of countering the doppelganger threat, can you get hold of a thermal imaging camera from one of the labs and bring it to my office, I believe we have one lurking in their”

“I’ll have a look Mr Matthews” Derek replied and then turned around and left.

For Janine, being fully dressed in the command centre was a very novel experience. Apart from the one time she tried a paper smock, this was the first time ever she had been in the command centre and had not been naked, somehow it did not feel right, and yet she felt more comfortable wearing clothes. It was a strange feeling.

“This Doppelganger” Samuel asked, “You said it surrendered”

“Yes” Drake answered, “This one is odd, it is unlike any other doppelgangers on record”
“How?” Samuel asked.

“From your files” Janine spoke up, “Normal doppelgangers were very hostile to humans and would kill on site”

“I know” Samuel replied, “I encountered a couple back at the old Facility in North London”

“But this one didn’t even mimic a human when we came across it” Janine went on, “According to the reports it insisted it did not like harming anyone, especially humans and it had been coerced by an elf on behalf of trolls to mimic some important human.”

“It claims that the trolls killed the elf” Drake cut in, “And it wanted no part of what they were doing”

“It’s a ruse, it has to be” Samuel replied, “I know these creatures, they are paid assassins with a superiority complex”

“Sam” Charlene interrupted, “I don’t think these trolls came from our Mystical Realms, they may have come from another parallel universe where the trolls, elves, drow use technology instead of magic”

“What?” Samuel responded
“And we think they may be at war with a universe where humans use magic” Janine cut in.

Charlene glowered at Janine, even Samuel could tell there was an atmosphere between these two, especially given Janine’s record and what had happened to Charlene at Janine’s father’s hand.

“I want to see this doppelganger” Samuel told Drake, “I need to talk with it”.

“All in good time” Drake replied, “The minister called you in to do a job”

“Yeah” Samuel answered back, “And if we are to have a handle on what these trolls are up to, we need to interrogate this prisoner you have”

“Very well” Drake said grudgingly, “Doctor Henshaw and Miss Sedlacek can get on with other duties”

“I want Doctor Henshaw in on this as well” Samuel insisted

Drake glowered at Samuel, it was clear he resented this American being involved and was having to obey orders handed down from on high. The Brits had never forgiven their humiliation when two American agents acting as observers had exposed how the former commander of the IDEC, Mr Blue had been abusing what was classed as a human child who was an Irish citizen.

“This way” Drake said as he headed off towards the holding cells.

Drake had not really told Janine what he wanted her to do, so she tagged along behind. A live doppelganger was something she wanted to see for herself.

The four of them reached a large set of sliding doors.

“Identify Drake Matthews” Drake said to the door.

“Voice identity confirmed” an electronic voice came, and the doors opened.

“I take it that the voice ID is because naked people don’t have key cards” Samuel remarked

Drake did not respond

The four of them entered the doors and came up against another large set of sliding doors, as the first set closed behind them.

There was the sound of a rushing of air.

“In this section we need to maintain negative pressure in case any possible IDE we hold has any infectious agents” Drake explained, “It is equivalent to working at three thousand feet”

“Good job I’ve been to Denver” Samuel replied

The second set of doors finally opened and they headed down a corridor up to a reception desk. Samuel noticed that the air was slightly cooler, possibly because of the drop in air pressure for this section.

It was staffed by woman in her early thirties who seemed to be holding a bath towel over her shoulders.

The woman looked up and saw them, and hurriedly removed the towel and stood up, revealing she was naked.
“Sorry sir” the woman said to Drake

“Hi Sarah” Janine said to the woman on reception, trying to be friendly

“We are here to see the HIDE47 that was brought in last night” Drake said before the woman on reception could answer Janine.

“Cubical seventeen” Sarah replied pointing to her left.

Samuel took off his top coat and went round the desk and right up to Sarah, “I can tell you are a human, so put this on” he told her as he offered her his coat.

Sarah looked up at Drake, seeking permission.

Drake shook his head, “Protocol” he said bluntly

“Are you for real Drake” Samuel said angrily
Before he could stop himself Drake retorted, “Mr Mathews to you”

“Thanks anyway Sir” Sarah said as she longingly looked at the coat, “But I don’t want to get in to trouble”

“You know it’s attitudes like that Mr Matthews” Samuel went on, “that caused you to hand over the running of the old IDEC to us”

“May I remind you Brigadier General” Drake said with equal distain, “You are here as a guest”
“That is not how your minister put it when they begged me to come over and help you out, if I heard her people correctly” Samuel replied, “If I recall she passed on that as I had experience I could make whatever changes I saw fit to make you more efficient”

“Did they indeed” Drake retorted angrily, it seemed clear to him that the minister’s civil servants had embellished her invitation to suit their own agendas.

“Put this on Sarah” Samuel insisted as he held out the coat once more to Sarah, again she looked at Drake.

“Very well” Drake murmured, “put the blasted thing on if it will make him happy”

Sarah took the coat and slowly put it on and then did it up.

This reminded Janine of how the minister had insisted that she put on some contractor’s overalls when Janine had had to meet the minister at the Ministry of Defence, naked because she could not find her clothes in time. Drake had been reticent at letting her wear them even in front of the minister.

“Now it was cubical seventeen” Samuel then said to Sarah
“Yes sir” Sarah replied
“And by the way after today” Samuel went on, “There will be no need to work naked”
“But the smocks” Sarah began to say

“You will be wearing your normal clothes when on duty” Samuel told her, pointedly making sure Drake heard it. Samuel had a point to make, and Drake needed to hear it and take note!

The four of them headed up a corridor containing a number of cells

“The HIDE47 is the only entity we have at the moment” Drake said I passing
“So what has happened to the other ones” Samuel answered

Drake did not answer but merely pointed to cubical seventeen and told Samuel “Make sure you have your side arm ready in case it breaks it’s chain”

Samuel shook his head, it seemed the Brits were up to their old tricks of incarcerate, interrogate and exterminate. Even if this were a doppelganger assassin, that was no way to treat a sentient being.

Drake gave his voice identification and the cell door opened.

Inside sitting on a ledge that served as a bed, was the doppelganger, in its natural state.

“Please” it said in it’s usual metallic voice, “I don’t harm humans” then it looked down at the floor and added, “That’s why the trolls hate us”

The Doppelganger then looked up at Samuel with what he could swear was a tear, “I didn’t want to do what they made me, but they have my family” then the doppelganger looked down at the floor again, “I suppose the trolls have executed them now”

The doppelganger then started to sob, “I never wanted to go along with the trolls or the elf, because they want to kill humans”

“See what I mean” Drake said to Samuel, “Nothing like the doppelgangers on file”

“Yeah” Samuel agreed, “I fought these creatures before, it could be just a ruse”

“But I’m not lying” the doppelganger pleaded, “I’ll tell you whatever I can, but the trolls and the elf never trusted me, because we don’t hate humans like they do”

“I don’t think he is” Charlene interrupted, “These trolls are not from the Mystical Realms and neither is this shape shifter, they are from another universe, almost if you can call parallel universes classical, a parallel universe to the Mystical Realms”

“The trolls are our enemies and the doppelgangers and drow our friends?” Samuel asked with disbelief

“Exactly sir” Charlene confirmed.

“And there is that universe that is parallel with ours where humans use magic” Janine cut in.

“That’s who they said they wanted to kill” the doppelganger sobbed, “They said the humans magic was defeating them in their war and they needed to come here to find some weapon to kill them. I wanted no part but I was”

“What kind of weapon” Samuel interrupted

The doppelganger looked at Samuel and blinked, “I think they want something that will make you all sick and die. The elf took me to one of your cities and made me ask for something a woman called dangerous pathogens, but I don’ know what they are”

“So they are after a bio-weapon” Samuel said to Drake
“Which explains the attack on Porton down” Drake replied

“There was an elf among the dead where you were captured” Janine asked the Doppelganger.

“His name was Callum” the doppelganger replied, “But the troll they called Captain Strang shot him dead”

“Captain Strang?” Samuel said in surprise

“You know him?” the doppelganger asked

For a moment Samuel was silent as he remembered events from what seemed a lifetime ago, “I knew a Captain Strang” Samuel spoke up, “He was assigned to my team by Padow the Clan Chief of the Manjura, but he was killed in the explosion that destroyed the Facility in North London”

“But Padow is the Lord High Troll” the doppelganger said in puzzlement, “It is he who is leading this awful campaign to exterminate all humans”

“That’s definitely what they would call a classical parallel universe” Charlene interrupted, “Almost like IDW01, but different, as I said earlier it is like these two other universes are super symmetric partners to our universe and IDW01”

“There are some of the staff at that place that the trolls attacked who are missing” Drake demanded, “Where are they”

The doppelganger blinked and shook his head in despair, “That Strang took them so they can test those pathogens on them”

“That means a rescue mission” Samuel whispered to Drake
“If we can find where they are being kept” Drake replied, “And if this creature is telling the truth I don’t think he would be privy to that information”

Drake thought for a moment and then spoke to the doppelganger, “You said this elf asked for something called pathogens, did he say what they were called”

The doppelganger shook it’s head, “He handed her a slip of paper with the names on, but I never learnt how to read elvish or human”

Drake sighed and then tried another tack, “Pathogens are what make people ill. They can also be used as what we call d bio-weapons.” Drake went on, “At the place where you surrendered, can you remember the names of what pathogens they took”

“I was hiding” the doppelganger replied, “But I heard the troll say they wanted something called Why pest us and aitch one en one”

“Bird flu and plague” Janine uttered

“Both wiped out loads of people here on Earth” Samuel whispered.

Suddenly the lights failed and darkness descended.

“Power outage” Samuel asked and then tried to reach for his pen torch, only then remembering he had given it to Sarah.

“We are meant to be on an independent system” Drake remarked, “even then there should be back up lighting”

Drake pulled out his key ring torch and tried it, it did not work. Then he pulled out a cigarette lighter he always carried, even though he did not smoke.

The lighter worked and cast a dim shadow around the cell.

“Something is not right here” Drake commented, “Not only should there be back up generators, there should be emergency strip lighting in the ceiling. Each light has it’s own battery”

Samuel was so glad that they had not closed the cell door and so he went through into the darkness of the corridor, “Sarah” he yelled, “The left outside pocket of my coat, there’s a torch”

“I think I found it sir” he heard a frightened Sarah through the darkness.

“Rotate the thicker end clockwise” Samuel called out

After a few seconds he heard Sarah in a panic call out, “I’ve tried that, it’s not working”

“That was a fresh battery” Samuel said quietly to the rest of the people in the cell, then he called out, “feel your way this way to the sound of my voice”

“Ok” he heard Sarah call out nervously.

After what seemed like an eternity, Sarah arrived at the door to cell seventeen.

The only light available was from Drake’s cigarette lighter.

“Do you have a digital watch?” Samuel asked Drake
“Certainly not” Drake replied in disgust at the question

“I do” Samuel replied, “The back-up light is not working on it either” Samuel then held his wrist near the flickering flame of the lighter, so Drake could see it. The face of the watch was blank, as if there were no battery in it.

“Something is blocking all electricity” Samuel told Drake

“The only technology I know of that could do that is an electromagnetic pulse produced by a nuclear blast” Drake replied

“Which we have not heard or felt” Samuel countered, “And it certainly would not have affected my torch which was switched off”

“What are you suggesting Brigadier General” Drake asked

“Magic” Samuel replied

“You mean like an energy damping spell?” Charlene asked
“Exactly” Samuel answered.

“That’s what I encountered yesterday” Janine interrupted, “Humans that were using magic”

Samuel thought for a moment and then spoke to Sarah, “I need something from one of my inside pockets on the coat”

“Yes sir” Sarah replied and started to undo the coat.
“Right inside pocket” Samuel told Sarah.
“What am I looking for?” Sarah asked.

“Never mind” Samuel replied and took hold of the coat lapel, gently put his hand into the inside pocket, trying carefully not to touch Sarah’s naked body underneath the coat.

He found what he was after and pulled it from the pocket and then made a point of doing his coat up so Sarah was fully covered once again.

The object was a ruby talisman

The talisman was glowing red

“A talisman of magic detection?” Charlene asked
“Yup” Samuel answered, “A souvenir from IDW01, it alerts the wearer if magic is being used. It confirms this base in under magic attack”

“Crap” Drake swore

“What are we going to do?” Sarah asked.

“We need to at least get out of here away from that damping spell” Samuel answered.
“Nice trick if you can do that” Janine commented.

There was silence for a few seconds before Samuel spoke to Drake, “Did you ever capture a dimension jump orb”

Drake was silent for a moment before answering, “I didn’t capture it. It was captured by one of Mr Blue’s men who kept it” he answered, “After we formed the EAD, we tried to locate him, but we discovered that he had been killed in an accident on a motorbike. His widow had it amongst his effects. She didn’t know what it was and so she passed it on to us.”

“So you still have it?” Samuel asked
“It’s in my office drawer, but what’s the point” Drake, “We can’t use it due to the radiation barrier between us and IDW01”

“But we can use it” Charlene interrupted, “Just not to IDW01”

“You’re talking about Aurelia?” Janine asked

Samuel did not respond

“That could be a death trap” Drake protested, “What if we arrive during a solar storm? The moment we set foot on that world we will be fried”

“Not if we aim for a specific lava tunnel” Charlene countered, “Both Sam and I have been there, we can navigate there”

“Well first we have to navigate to my office” Drake told the group, “This place is bad enough when we have lights and electricity, and this light source” Drake went on, pointing to the cigarette lighter, “Will not last much longer”

“But he can see in the dark” Charlene replied, pointing to the doppelganger

“You want to trust our lives to a doppelganger?” Samuel asked Charlene
“He’s not from IDW01” Charlene protested, “so I think we can trust this one” she added

“OK You!” Samuel addressed the doppelganger, “Can you really see in the dark”

“Yes” the doppelganger replied, “But you need to extinguish that flame it blinds me”

“Are you crazy” Drake asked, “It’s an HIDE47” Drake went on, “Those things live to kill people, Brigadier General, you of all people should remember that”

“Mr Matthews” Samuel said slowly and deliberately, “This talisman shows that this base is under attack from entities with access to powerful magic. We need to somehow get past them, get to your office and get that orb and get to IDW02, maybe we can do what Janine’s father tried to do and use that world to get to IDW01 and get someone to counter this magic, then we can try and deal with those technological trolls”

“But you want to place our lives in that hands of an entity which your own reports show were hostile to humans” Drake questioned

“But we aren’t” the doppelganger pleaded, “I can help, I want to help humans”

“Drake” Samuel said bluntly, “Like you say I have fought against Doppelgangers from IDW01, but I don’t think we have much option, and I trust my people. If Doctor Henshaw believes that this doppelganger is not like those others, then we have no alternative, we have to trust this one”

To Be continued

[Sticks]

Episode VI– Deadly Opposites

Spoiler:

They say when you sup with the Devil, use a long spoon.

Sometimes we are forced to unite with once bitter enemies to achieve a certain goal.

Western governments during the cold war routinely dealt with regimes with poor human rights records, because they were against the communists as well, such as General Pinochet in Chile. The former members of the Inter Dimensional Entity Control even had to do this to free Earth from the evil Troll Brameana, by doing a deal with her evil father, the Lord High Troll.

Now members of the new Entity Affairs Directorate, along with former members of the IDEC are faced with a stark dilemma. They are in the EAD headquarters in South London, which has been plunged into darkness, because someone seems to have attacked the complex using magic which prevents anything using electricity from working.

None of their torches work, and so far the only illumination has come from a cigarette lighter, owned by the EAD director, Drake Matthews

In order to navigate to Drake’s office where there is the last dimension jump orb on Earth to get away from the magical damping field they will have to be guided through the darkness by a doppelganger shape shifter, who claims it wants to help humans. In their past dealings with this type of creature, they have always been assassins

+ + +

The Holding Cells of the Entity Affairs Directorate
South London, England

“I don’t like this one bit” Drake complained, “I have never trusted an IDE, let alone a known HIDE”

“That sounds just like my father” Janine volunteered, “He only trusted humans, he even betrayed that Celeste girl that he pretended to be a father figure to. I remember once when she somehow messed up an assassination attempt on the Brigadier General here, she disintegrated all her clothing and offered to sexually gratify my father in whatever way he wanted to try and make up for it”

“I knew she messed up the assassination” Brigadier Samuel Peters replied, “But she never mentioned that bit”

“Well my father would probably have taken up her offer like the way he forced my mother to give him sexual favours” Janine continued, “But back then as she was considered to be an IDE, he held back and got me to go and get her replacement clothing”

“And the point of that little story is?” Charlene asked accusingly

“Celeste at that point would have given him anything he wanted” Janine answered, “But he refused to trust anyone who was not human nor have any intimate contact. It was one of his prejudices”

“Meaning” the Brigadier General cut in, “That if we refuse to trust this doppelganger we will be making a bigger mistake, not that turning Celeste down was a mistake back then, but you get the picture”

“Sir” Sarah, the receptionist at the holding cells volunteered, “I just remembered, we may have some glow stick chemical lights in the drawer at reception. We got them as back up last month”

“They’ll work for a fixed area” Samuel responded,” but for getting back to the command centre, they will not be much use. Plus they have a limited life. I suggest we get them but only activate them when we need to. We don’t want whoever has caused the damping field to be tipped off to our presence”

Drake extinguished the lighter and darkness returned, “OK” he grudgingly accepted, “I will put the lighter back on, leave the cell and pick up the glow sticks at reception and then we will use this HIDE47 to guide us back to my office.”

“Sounds like a plan” the Brigadier General told Drake

Drake reignited the lighter and summoned Sarah to come with him.

Sarah meekly headed towards Drake.

“And you can return the Brigadier General’s coat” Drake ordered Sarah.

“Yes sir” Sarah replied and started undoing it.
“That’s not required” Samuel objected, “We are not making people work naked”

“You have items in it I dare say you may need” Drake responded, “Like that torch, even though it didn’t work. Staff here are used to working in the nude, its second nature, besides, she can wrap that towel around her if you like, even though she should never have had it down here in the first place” Drake added as a stern rebuke to Sarah.

“I’m sorry sir, I was cold down here, but I won’t bring it down again sir” Sarah replied on the brink of tears
“Like I said” the Brigadier General cut in, “From now on you will be wearing your own clothes”

Sarah removed the coat and handed it back to the Brigadier General, making her the only one there, apart from the doppelganger that was naked, in accordance with EAD protocols. Sarah and Drake then left the cell.

Janine looked out of the cell and watched as the two of them went down to the reception desk. Within a minute, Janine saw Sarah pull out some small cylinders of plastic and hand them to drake. She then watched as Sarah did her best to wrap the towel around her small slim body, as if she had stepped out of a bath, and fastened it as best she could.

Then darkness fell again as Drake extinguished the lighter.

“Bring it out then” Drake called out of the darkness

“We need to get to our command centre” Janine heard the Brigadier General tell the doppelganger

Janine just hoped that Charlene knew what she was talking about, as in the pitch black a powerful creature with the ability to see in the dark could be a lethal combination.

“Follow me” the doppelganger called out in a metallic style voice, and then it kept repeating it’s injunction as it breezed past Janine and out of the cell. She heard the footsteps of the brigadier general following closely behind, presumably because he was armed.

Nervously Janine started to follow the metallic voice in the darkness.

Then she hit something

“Watch where you are going” she heard Charlene shout out, almost instinctively. The two women had collided.

Even if this IDE could be trusted, following it in the darkness would not be as easy as she thought.

“I am at a door” the doppelganger announced.

Janine heard Drake describe the door and the doppelganger confirm the description. Drake then told it that the door was the way they had come in and described where the manual leaver was to open it.

There was the scraping of metal and then a rush of air that turned into something like a gale in the darkness.

The other door had been open and by opening up the inner door, the air pressure was equalising, as the holding area was kept at a lower air pressure to the rest of the EAD. The idea was that it would contain any possible release of contaminants or bacteria from any IDEs that may be being held.

The sound of the doppelganger continued as Drake continued to describe the route. Janine did her best to try and follow the voices, but it was hard and frightening. ”Is this what it is like for blind people?” she kept on thinking. Even if the lights had been on, this was a section she had not ventured since it had been her job to deal with detection and going out into the field.

Then she heard the sound she had been expecting, but dreading, the doppelganger said how it could see people with burning torches in the distance.

Drake and Samuel then whispered at the three women to get back and hide round the corner while they crept round to see what was happening.

Janine then heard the sounds of guns being cocked from both Drake and the Brigadier General,

Somehow that did not seem like a good idea, especially if whoever had infiltrated the EAD had been able to block all flow of electrical items, could they stop guns from working?

“They are coming this way” the doppelganger announced in his metallic voice, “with crossbow weapons” it added.

“I’ll see if I can take one of them out” Drake told the Brigadier General, “You stay with the others”
“The hell I will” The Brigadier General swore
“With all due respect Brigadier General” Drake hurriedly replied, “I know this place better than you do, this is my briar patch as you yanks put it”

Slowly Drake made his way around the corner while the doppelganger waited with Janine, Charlene and Sarah and the Brigadier General

Even Janine could now see the light levels increasing due to the approach of someone with what seemed like a flaming torch; just as if it was out of the medieval period.

BANG

There was the sound of Drake firing his gun.

Suddenly Drake rushed back around the corner and holstered their guns.

“Those b******s have got some kind of shield” Drake said to the others.

“Your weapons are useless” a voice called out from where the light was approaching, “You will surrender and perhaps we may allow you to live for a while”

The voice was familiar to Janine; it was the voice of the leader of the men using magic that had killed Kevin.

“If you know any other human” the Brigadier General told the doppelganger in a quick whisper, “You better mimic them now”

“Why?” the doppelganger asked
“Just do it” The Brigadier General ordered.

In the flickering light, Janine saw the doppelganger morph into the image of the elderly man that a couple of months previously they had found dead in the warehouse where these magic using humans killed Kevin.

“We are waiting” the voice of the leader of the group that had killed Kevin called out again

“Sir” Janine whispered to Drake, “That’s the guy who led the team that killed Kevin”

Drake shook his head, and then walked around the corner with his hands up.

“On your knees” the voice called out, “All of you, including that wench we met before”

They watched as some invisible force, shoved Drake to his knees in the corridor.

Janine went to go around the corner, only to be grabbed on the arm by the doppelganger. Suddenly the doppelganger morphed to the likeness of Janine, and then released her arm.

The Brigadier General shook his head, “No” he told the doppelganger.

The doppelganger morphed back into the form of the old man and went around the corner.

Suddenly all of them found themselves forced to kneel, the spell was obviously an area affect spell.

All of them, including the doppelganger seemed utterly powerless to move, as the man Janine had met before at the abandoned factory came round along with three men armed with swords, some of them dripping with blood. The man himself was carrying the foil he had when his team had ambushed Janine and Kevin.

“My liege” the man with the foil said in surprise, “I did not realise you had come here as well”

The other men seemed to be shocked by the appearance of someone in the group, Janine could not fathom out who.

“Timothy?” Janine heard the Brigadier General utter under his breath. It seemed like the former marine seemed to know this man.

“Release Lord Samail” the man with the foil who the Brigadier General called Timothy ordered.

There was some strange chanting and then the Brigadier General got to his feet.

“Pray tell me my liege” the man with the foil asked, “what brought you here and why did you not tell me, and why are you in these strange clothes”

“It was a last minute thing” the Brigadier General answered, “And I thought if I dressed like these people I would blend in” he lied

The man that Janine had met at the abandoned factory then pointed at Janine, “That is the wench I told you about, do you want to interrogate her before we execute her?”

Janine looked up at the Brigadier General, for some strange reason the murderer who had led the team that killed Kevin seemed to think that the Brigadier General was some kind of leader of his. Given the run-ins that she had had with the Brigadier General, because of her father, this was a perfect time to pay her back.

“I would like to interrogate her myself, and this man who is her master” the Brigadier General said slowly and deliberately as he pointed at Drake.

“Who are these two other wenches and this other man?” the man with the foil then asked, “one of them is dressed almost like the wench and yet another here seems only to be wrapped in some kind of blanket”

“The woman who is dressed is one of my servants” the Brigadier General replied, “I would like you to release her”

“How come my liege, I never saw her back at The Castle Lodinium” the man with the foil replied with a puzzled expression

“I had sent her on an errand” the Brigadier General replied, “maybe that was why you never saw her”

The man then walked up to Sarah and placed his foil on her neck, “That blanket remove it” he ordered, “Let our lord Samail see your body”

“That’s not necessary” The Brigadier General replied, “I have seen it, I allowed her to wrap herself up because it was cold where she was kept prisoner along with this other man”

“Well I dare say it is a bit warmer here” the man with the foil said with an evil sneer, “If I may I would like to see her naked body”

Janine looked up at the Brigadier General and wondered what he would do; it had become obvious that the man with the foil had mistaken Brigadier Samuel Peters for someone else. Even the name he addressed the Brigadier General as, Samail seemed strangely familiar to his first name of Samuel.

With what Doctor Henshaw had said about “classical parallel universe” could this man’s lord be an alternate version of the Brigadier General? Did that mean there was a version of her in that parallel universe where humans used magic?

“Sarah, remove the towel” the Brigadier General said softly

”What was the Brigadier General playing at?” Janine thought

“Sir?” Sarah said in astonishment

Suddenly without warning, the man with the foil smashed the back of his hand into Sarah’s face with his full force. “When you are ordered to do something by Lord Samail of the Petros Lands, you do not question him”

Janine watched has blood streamed from Sarah face as she started to remove the towel with tears streaming down her face. Janine also noticed that Doctor Henshaw was looking daggers at the Brigadier General. The only thing Janine could think of was that the Brigadier General was trying to maintain the pretence that he was the lord that the man with the foil had confused him with from alternate Earth where the man had come from Or was that an alternate Mystical Realms?

Sarah dropped the towel to the floor, and immediately the man with the foil put his left hand to her throat, “Just remember wench who your masters are” he growled menacingly at her.

Janine could see the terror in Sarah’s eyes, but equally she could guess that their fates depended on this man thinking that the Brigadier General was this Lord Samail, long enough for them to escape.

“I would prefer it if you did not damage one of my selected concubines” the Brigadier General told the man with a foil.

“Another one for the harem then?” the man with the foil asked as he removed his hand from Sarah’s throat.

The Brigadier General nodded, “I would like to add to it someone from this world, to add a bit of variety”

“As you wish my liege” the man with the foil replied, “But as you said many a time, wenches need to be put in their place”

“Definitely” the Brigadier concurred

Janine noticed even more black looks from Doctor Henshaw, it was obvious from her reputation of being a feminist, that what the Brigadier General was agreeing to was definitely an anathema to her. Janine could see that this was the only way. These humans who used magic had obviously attacked the EAD, but unlike the trolls, whose attack had been thwarted, these humans with magic had managed to overpower their security completely and were now in charge.

“Now”, the Brigadier General went on, “I was going to take these prisoners to this man’s office” he said pointing at Drake, “I would be grateful if you could release them, so we can go there”

“Why do you need to be in his office” the man with the foil asked, “Why not take them to the dungeon at the Castle Lodinium”

The way the man with the foil had asked this question seemed alarming to Janine, causing her to wonder if he was finally realising that Brigadier General Samuel Peters was not Lord Samail of the Petros Lands.

“This man is the leader of this place” The Brigadier General explained, “I would like to see where he runs this place from”

“Like you do from your throne room” the man with the foil asked

“Exactly” the Brigadier General answered.

“Ok” the man with the foil replied, “I will escort you and this master of that wench that got Travis killed to his throne room or office as they call it, the others we will take with the other prisoners here. It will be a fine site my liege when we hang them by their scrawny necks over the walls of the Castle Lodinium as a warning for those who doubt the superiority of magic over machines, but don’t worry we will make sure your servant is unharmed and this one is taken to your harem” he added placing a hand on Sarah’s naked shoulder

“I want them all with me when we go into this man’s office” the Brigadier General insisted, “Do you question me?”

The man with the foil shook his head, “not if that is what you want my liege”

The man then gave an order and then Janine found she was able to stand up

More men came however with swords and they were pushed along the corridors until they came into the main command centre.

The scene there was of utter carnage, all the security guards with guns were dead, as were quite a number of other colleagues. There was blood everywhere.

In the centre were about five women and one man, all naked, kneeling down with their hands tied behind their backs. Over the top of them walked three men in black flowing robes, unlike the various fighting men with swords and crossbows.

“Your magic users were excellent as was Quaylong” the man with the foil boasted, “as you said on our world; machines and technology is no match for magic. We have even neutralised that force they call electricity with in the area where this citadel is located. When the magic users finish telepathically interrogating the heretics we will know what our troll enemies are planning before these prisoners are executed for their heresy”

“Where is your office” the Brigadier General said gruffly to Drake

“I’ll never tell you” Drake replied. It was obvious to Janine that Drake must have guessed what had happened and was playing along

Suddenly Janine was grabbed by the throat by the man with the foil and then put in a headlock, “You will tell us or I will snap this wenches wretched neck”

“Over there” Drake replied, obviously pointing to where his office was.

Janine then felt herself being released by the man with the foil, although she thought she heard him say “pity”.

The group then were herded by the other men with swords towards Drake’s office.

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that the man with the foil had picked up a crossbow.

They stopped at Drake’s office door, it was shut.

“I can’t open this door with the electricity shut down” Drake complained, “I need it to power the palm print reader”

“Quaylong” the man with the foil shouted.

A man came up from the main part of the command centre came across, He was wearing what looked like leather under a long flowing black robe. Janine recognised him as one of the men at the abandoned factory; he had been the one that cast magic spells by chanting.

The man with the foil pointed at the closed door.

“Door open spell?” the man called Quaylong asked before holding up some kind of crystal and chanting some unintelligible language.

The door slid open.

Drake went in first followed by the Brigadier General.

Janine was ushered in, followed by Doctor Henshaw Sarah and the Doppelganger.

Finally the man with a foil came in, accompanied by Quaylong.

Quaylong chanted and the door slid closed.

The man with the foil then raised his crossbow and pointed it at the Brigadier General. “Just who are you really?” the man with the foil said angrily, “The real Samail of the Petro lands does not have a harem or a throne room. He has various, wives, sisters and daughters of his enemies’ held hostage in his dungeons and seldom sleeps with them. He has one wife and a concubine to give him any heirs he might wish. As for the throne room, he makes decisions in the great hall.”

“He certainly looks like our employer Sir Timous” Quaylong interrupted, “Maybe he is one of those enslaved doppelgangers that the trolls sometimes use. If you wish my Liege I will cast a reveal spell”
“Yes Quaylong” the man with the foil replied, “Let’s see what the natural form of that beast is before we dispatch it”

+ + +

The Troll City of Power
The Manjura Empire

The elderly troll left the bar where he had been dining with a hob goblin friend of his earlier days. It was dark and he was heading home.

As he walked down the street he thought he caught sight of a dark figure on a two wheeled motorised transport, ridden by an elf. Immediately he dismissed it as probably one of the many couriers throughout the city on such transports carrying documents or given the time of night probably ordered meals being delivered to trolls, orcs or whatever who were too lazy or too busy to cook for themselves.

This elderly troll never used such services, as because of his position he preferred to dine out in the best restaurants, which were usually run by kobolds, who were the finest cooks around. (Although he usually dined out to be seen)

As he walked down the street he wondered if he should invite Captain Strang along or whether that would be too provocative towards the current Lord High Troll. But then Padow needed to be shown that his star was not as bright as it once was the loss of more cities to the humans and their accursed magic was showing him to be a lead incapable of protecting his people. Even his idea of raiding a world of technological humans to gain a bio-weapon had had to be rescued by Captain Strang.

Maybe it was time for the incumbent to consider retirement in favour of a new dynamic leader, like Captain Strang.

There was a sudden roar as the two wheeled vehicle revved up and passed the elderly troll on the street. It was then that he noticed it was carrying two riders, both elves, the one not driving was pointing something in his direction.

The elderly troll collapsed in pain as something ripped through his body, within seconds he was lying on the ground gasping for breath.

The elf driving the vehicle turned it around and drove right up to the elderly troll. The passenger elf got off the vehicle, and pulled out a handgun, aimed it at the elderly troll’s head and fired the trigger. Next he reached into the blood stained coat and pulled out his wallet and ripped off his solid platinum pocket watch and pocketed it. The elf then got back on the two wheeled vehicle and then both elves sped off into the night.

The entire attack had been less than a minute.

+ + +

The Entity Affairs Directorate
South London, England

The man called Quaylong began his chanting but it seemed to have no effect on the Brigadier General, instead the real doppelganger cried out in pain and lost his ability to pretend to be the man that Janine had found killed by trolls’ months before.

“What!” the man with the foil exclaimed, “You are an imposter, you have to be”

In a fit of anger, the man with the foil fired the crossbow at the Brigadier General.

What happened next seemed to Janine to be in slow motion. The bolt headed towards the former US marine, but just as it reached him it looked like the bolt turned around in mid-air and headed back along the path it had just come”

The bolt hit the man with the foil squarely in the chest and he dropped the crossbow. The man with the foil sank to his knees.

Immediately the man called Quaylong cried out “My Liege” and ran to him. The man called Quaylong held up his hand and recited an incantation, immediately there seemed to be some kind of force field between Quaylong and the man with the foil and the others in Drake’s office”

Quaylong pulled the man with the foil to his feet and dragged him out of the door”

“Drake, we haven’t got much time” the Brigadier General shouted

Drake grabbed at his desk drawer and pulled out what seemed to be a blue sphere.

“Charlene you know how to get that to go to IWD02?” the Brigadier shouted

“Give it here” Doctor Henshaw ordered Drake and grabbed the sphere from his hand. Immediately she chanted some strange incantation Janine had never heard before.

Immediately a small blue dot appeared in the air and began to grow.

Janine looked out at the office window and saw the commotion outside, somehow something the Brigadier General had, had caused the man with the foil to shoot himself, and it seemed the focus of attention of those who had taken the EAD was on using whatever magical means they had to save the man with the foil. It reminded Janine of that time when she had been working for her father, and she had been shot with an arrow. That time her life had been saved by Celeste, who she later discovered was the Spirit of Second Chances.

Janine then noticed three men in clothing that looked like it belonged to the medieval period all pointing crossbow bolts at the window.

“Get down” Janine yelled instinctively.

Immediately the glass became like a mosaic, but held.

They were lucky that this glass had been made out of security glass, even so the crossbow bolts almost penetrated.

There were further thuds as more crossbow bolts hit, under such an onslaught, even this toughened glass would most likely fail.

By now the blue dot was now a swirling vortex

“Everyone through” Yelled the Brigadier General.

Janine closed her eyes and flung herself through the vortex. This was her very first time through a vortex that was not to an artificial universe.

+ + +

The Troll City of Power
The Manjura Empire

Captain Strang stood next to a law enforcement dwarf as the body of the elderly troll was placed into a van.

“Looks like a robbery to me” the Dwarf told Strang, “But that’s what happens when some see wealthy trolls walking the streets”

“I don’t believe this is just a robbery” Strang told the dwarf, “this was an assassination of a member of the troll high council”

“Do you know how many murders a week we have?” the dwarf said with irritation in his voice.

“No” Strang admitted

“We have quite a few!” the dwarf exclaimed, “With refugees coming into the city as their lands are taken by the human menace, we are seeing an increase in gang related crime and turf wars. As prices get put up, more are turning to robbery with violence.”

“With knives and at close quarters maybe” Strang protested

“And with firearms” the dwarf interrupted, “As I say, this troll elder should have known better not to go out dressed the way he did, whoever robbed him may have seen him go to the restaurant and got his friend to take part. Robbery plain and simple and NO NEED” the dwarf emphasised, “for needless conspiracy theories and talk of assassinations”

“Is it true?” came a voice from behind that Strang did not find welcome.

Strang turned around and there to his disgust was Padow, the Lord High Troll with two troll bodyguards.

“As if you didn’t know” Strang shouted

Padow feigned a look of bewilderment, “I have no idea what you’re talking about”

“That’s enough of that sir” the dwarf intervened between the two trolls

“That troll there ordered this assassination, I’m certain of it” Strang told the dwarf as he pointed at Padow.

“That is a very serious allegation against a senior troll” the dwarf said angrily, “I am satisfied that this is just another robbery, plain and simple”

“I am afraid the captain here was very close to Belgran” Padow interjected, “And a simple robbery as this is, seems so senseless so he’s bound to think it was something more”

Strang narrowed his eyes, it seemed unbelievable that this was a mere robbery when earlier in the day this elder had praised him for taking human prisoners to test the deadly pathogens they would create to exterminate all humans once and for all. It also seemed that either the dwarf was in the pay of Padow, or he was going for the version that would make his paperwork easier. An assassination would create a lot of paper work, where as a robbery would not.

Strang turned around and walked away, he would have to warn his other benefactors amongst the elders, but would they believe that Padow would stoop to murder?

+ + +

The Entity Affairs Directorate
South London, England

Sir Timous sat up, Quaylong had once again proved his value with his healing magic, even though the crossbow bolt had not penetrated thanks to his chainmail armour underneath his leather armour. Even so the impact had taken his breath away.

But how did a crossbow bolt fired at a clear imposter turn back on itself and hit him. Obviously some form of technology that their magic had not taken out since these heretics never used magic

“I am afraid that group have escaped my liege” Quaylong apologised, “The man who looked like Lord Samail was indeed as wise as he as you can see the glass surrounding the room they went into was as good as plate armour against the cross bows.”

“I cannot believe that I let them get away, including that wench” Sir Timous said angrily, “But how could they have escaped, none of their artificial devices should have worked with the banishment of electricity spell in place”

“It looks like they had their own orb of travel my liege” Quaylong explained, “It looked exactly like ours so they did not need any of their devices”

“Heretics with Magic, then we must head back” Sir Timous replied, “Who knows what damage those heretics will do on our world”.

“As you wish my liege” Quaylong answered and pulled from his pocket a blue sphere

“First of all” Sir Timous interrupted, “We must make sure that the prisoners are made an example of”

At the sound of this there were some gasps of alarm from the Entity Affairs Directorate personnel who had been captured.

“But they will my liege” Quaylong replied, “They will all hang by their necks over the walls of the Castle Lodinium”

“Not enough” Sir Timous replied, “I want them to be made an example of to this heretic world, to show them that they too must bow to our will and abandon their heretic ways”

“What do you have in mind?” Quaylong asked

“Men” Sir Timous ordered, “Quaylong has got all the vital information we need from the heretics so make sure all them are secured to the floor with nails in their hands and feet, it if you have to”

“Quaylong” Sir Timous said with anger in his eyes, “I believe just like on our world there is a large river nearby”

“Yes my liege?” Quaylong asked

“I want a gateway opened from that river to this complex, I want all the prisoners drowned by their own river. Produce a plaque in their own worthless tongue, let it say these prisoners were executed for their heresy on the orders of Sir Timous of the Zacharan, loyal knight of Lord Samail of the Petros Lands”

“It will be done my liege” Quaylong replied as he found a suitable piece of metal.

While Quaylong used an engraving spell, Sir Timous smiled as he oversaw the prisoners being fastened to the floor. All of them screamed in agony as nails were hammered through their limbs to secure them to the floor or whatever they could be secured to.

These heretics would pay dearly for the deception that that heretic that looked like Lord Samail had done.

There were pleas of mercy from the prisoners as they were nailed down, but this only made Sir Timous laugh.

“Mercy?” Sir Timous said with incredulity, “Mercy is a sign of weakness for cowards who have not got the guts to carry through with the punishment of those who deserve it or put to death so called innocents if expediency demands it” he sneered.

As the last member of the EAD staffed was nailed to the floor, rendering them all unable to move, Quaylong opened up a gateway to their world.

As the men that Lord Samail had leant Sir Timous passed through back to Castle Lodinium, Sir Timous and Quaylong held back. Then Quaylong held up a green crystal disc and gave a quick incantation. A red wormhole opened up

Immediately water started gushing through as Sir Timous and Quaylong entered the blue wormhole and collapsed it.

The command centre rapidly filled with the murky water from the River Thames as it passed through the dimension door that had been left open.

Within minutes the whole of the EAD complex below ground had flooded completely, drowning every last member of the Entity Affairs Directorate that served in the command centre.

+ + +

Deep inside a lava tube
Inter Dimensional World 02

Janine came back from the cave entrance with Drake where they had gone on a kind of reconnaissance.

“I’m so glad you got the co-ordinates right Doctor Henshaw” Drake said to the rest of the group, “That red giant star has definitely just gone active at the moment”

“It was horrible” Janine said with emotion in her voice, “There was some creature out there”

“A gulphog I believe” Drake interjected

“It was screaming in agony and then it died” Janine said with disbelief.

“Solar flare” Doctor Henshaw commented as she did her best to tend to the injuries Sarah had sustained from the man with the foil, “any creature on this planet who doesn’t get under cover in time will get fried, that’s how it is here” Doctor Henshaw added unsympathetically.

Sarah was still naked, as she had left the towel back at the EAD headquarters. The Brigadier General had offered Sarah his coat, but Drake had vetoed the offer, insisting that as a serving member of the EAD, she had been expected to either wear paper smocks or work naked. Sarah had nervously acquiesced insisting, unconvincingly, that she was ok to be naked and that it was no big deal.

Unlike previously, the Brigadier General had not contested this like he had back at the EAD. The incident where he had ordered Sarah to drop the towel, which led to the man with the foil smashing her round the head, had for some reason had affected him. Janine could see that the Brigadier General had a haunted look in his eyes, it was as if that had reminded him of another incident, both he and Doctor Henshaw were aware of.

Whatever that incident was, it must have been bad as Doctor Henshaw had barely spoken a word to him since they had arrived on IDW02, or Aurelia as Doctor Henshaw called it. Janine had heard that both the Brigadier General and Doctor Henshaw had been around in the alternative timeline where Earth had fallen to some megalomaniac troll, and that incident must have occurred there, however neither of them would talk about it.

Janine had also wondered about stripping off too, to show sisterhood to Sarah, but for the moment thought better of it, besides to make the gesture more meaningful would require getting Doctor Henshaw to strip off as well, something she was clearly not going to do, as far as Janine could tell, and there was no way she felt like asking, given the history between the two of them.

As for this world where they had landed on, it was strange. In the sky in the same position was a large red star, and outside there were strange creatures. Some of them looked like plants, but were in fact not. Drake had called them Stinger fans

According to Doctor Henshaw this was a world created some years ago by the imagination of one man, namely the late Timothy Zachary, a former member of the IDEC UK who had gone rouge. According to the Brigadier General, this Timothy was the spitting image of the man with the foil. This whole planet had been based on that man Timothy’s favourite television documentary, where experts had tried to come up with how life might have evolved on a very different world. Whatever had shaped IDW01, or the Mystical Realms out of the collective unconsciousness of humanity, had shaped this world from the single mind of that former IDEC UK member.

As for the doppelganger he sat in the cave, a small distance from the others and was now in his natural form. It seemed odd to have him around, as HIDE47’s as they were called, were always considered a threat, as they were assassins for hire and worked without a conscience, that was the whole reason for the paper smocks and the reason why Sarah was naked, and why Janine usually worked naked at the EAD. These creatures never wore clothes as they mimicked them and were not that good at mimicking a naked human. This Doppelganger had come from an alternate world, where trolls used technology not magic, and if this one was to be believed, unlike their counter parts in the Mystical Realms, they eschewed any sort of violence, especially to humans.

“So Brigadier General, how long do we have to wait here before we try for IDW01” Drake asked with irritation, if that is your plan

“My understanding is that a dimension jump orb needs a few hours to recharge” the Brigadier General replied to Drake’s question.

“But this is magic not an artificial wormhole generator.” Drake objected, “It’s a pity I didn’t have one of those in the office or we could have brought that along as well”

“Would not have done any good Mr Matthews” Doctor Henshaw chipped in, “The fuel cell would have decayed too much by now, unless you were constantly replenishing it, or had a handy major Spirit of Vice or Virtue and a magical amulet you didn’t mind wasting”

“It was considered a health and safety risk” Drake answered back, “They are kept in a special store for radioactive materials”

Janine glanced at the bruising on Sarah’s face, it was awful. Sarah was quite a petite girl with an Asiatic appearance as her father was from Singapore. From her accent you would never have known.

The Brigadier General held up the dimension jump orb, it was black, rather than the blue it was prior to leaving Earth. “I’m not sure how the trolls managed to get them to cycle through faster, but it is not ready yet by the look of it”

“That’s because you have not done the finishing incantation” the doppelganger interrupted.

“Before the trolls took many of us prisoner on my world” the shape-shifter went on, “A number of these magic using humans as you put it visited our village by the ocean using such orbs”

“Did they attack you as well?” Doctor Henshaw asked the shape-shifter

The Doppelganger shook his head, “Unlike the other races we live a simple life, without all their technology. The humans who visited seemed nice because we did not use machines like the other races use on our world. We do not use things powered by electricity, we do not usually use our shape shifting ability there either. In fact we do not know why we even have it. We just grow small crops and catch fish from the sea. Then the elves found out about their visit and betrayed us to the trolls. They said we were traitors because it seems they were at war with these humans, and they were losing against their magic”

“Hence the reason” Drake interrupted “Why the trolls attacked Porton Down and stole those pathogens”

“Obviously the magic using humans were trying to find out what the trolls have stolen” the Brigadier General added, “But those guys had a spell to reveal your kind” the Brigadier General challenged the doppelganger

The shape shifter looked at the ground and shook his head, “We believe the humans were made to think we betrayed them” The doppelganger then lifted his head, “We just want to let them know we did not betray them and wish them no harm”

“So” Janine found herself asking, “How does this finishing incantation go”

The doppelganger thought for a moment and then morphed into the form of some human from that world where humans used magic and then chanted words in a strange tongue.

Instantly the orb changed to its former deep blue colour.

The doppelganger reverted to his natural form

“Thanks” The Brigadier General said to the doppelganger, “Now all Doctor Henshaw and I have to work out, is how to do the incantation to get to IDW01 from here”

“And then what’s the plan?” Drake asked

“We try and find out if the Clan Chief of the Manjura is still around and see if we can get help to deal with the magic ability of those other humans and try and take on those technological trolls” The Brigadier General answered

“This Clan chief” Sarah then asked, “Does he have a name?”

The Brigadier seemed thrown by the question, “I don’t believe they use personal names once they have a title”

“Oh” Sarah replied, obviously back tracking for asking what by the tone of the Brigadier General’s voice was such a stupid question

“His name is Padow” Doctor Henshaw told Sarah, “It’s a Delethon name as his mother was from the Delethon clan”

At this the doppelganger began to shake his head vigorously.

“What’s the problem shape shifter” Drake asked dismissively

“Padow is the most evil of all the trolls!” the doppelganger exclaimed, “He is the Lord High Troll”

“We really do have a super symmetry here” Doctor Henshaw cut in, “Samuel here has a counter part in the magic using human world and now we seem to have two Padows”

“And both total opposites” the Brigadier General murmured “and both deadly enemies”

+ + +

The Castle Lodinium
(An unknown world)

Sir Timous approached Lord Samail with reticence and then knelt down before him.

“How did it go Sir Timous” Lord Samail asked
“Only a partial success my liege” Sir Timous replied
“Partial?” Lord Samail queried, “How so?”

“We easily took and subdued that subterranean citadel that the wench had come from and put many to the sword, their weapons rendered useless by our superior magic. Those who we did not put to the sword, we interrogated and nailed them by their limbs to the floor and allowed the waters of a mighty river to come in and drown them”

“A death too good for heretics” Lord Samail for a moment sneered, and then smiled, “But one that will suffice. But if you obtained the information and destroyed a main stronghold of the heretics, why do you say partial success?”

Sir Timous looked at the floor, “We came across that wench, along with her master, another wench who like your servant girls, serves naked and one of those shape shifters”

“And?” Lord Samail asked

“There was also a man who looked and sounded exactly like you. He had a name similar to yours and was a strong leader like you”

“Oh really?” Lord Samail asked with interest

“At first I thought it was you” Sir Timous went on, “but he said things that made me think he was one of those treacherous shape-shifters who betrayed us to the trolls”
“And was he the shape-shifter?” Lord Samail asked

Sir Timous shook his head, “No my liege, Quaylong cast the spell to reveal shape-shifters but he was not the shape-shifter, he was definitely human.”

“Was he one of those you nailed to the floor to drown?” Lord Samail asked

Again sir Timous shook his head, “No my liege, he had demanded we go to the chamber of the master of that wench, where I confronted him on his deception. I fired a crossbow at him, but the bolt turned and hit me. Only my armour and Quaylong’s healing magic saved me. They used that diversion to produce some orb such as we use that allowed them to escape. I have therefore failed you”

“Magic” Lord Samaiel said in a quiet voice, “is a strange thing. With regards to that cross bow bolt, he must have been wearing something like this”

At this Lord Samail pulled out a small crystal amulet he was wearing.

“It is an amulet of protection” Lord Samail explained, “Any distance attack weapon fired at me will be returned with full force back at whosoever fired it. Indeed Sir Timous, you are lucky to be alive”

“I thought those heretics used only forbidden technology” Sir Timous said with confusion.

“Obviously, they have somehow got hold of some magic” Lord Samail replied, “The only thing I can think of is that this other me must be what some call a double walker, a magical spirit being, whose sole aim is to destroy and replace those it looks like.”

Sir Timous looked up, “That will not happen. I will lead any loyal bodyguard to ensure such a being will not come near you and live”

Lord Samail shook his head, “I admire your loyalty but I believe this adversary cannot be defeated by sword and crossbow, I will assemble Quaylong and the other sorcerers to formulate a magical defence. You say they escaped using an orb like the ones we use to fight our enemies the trolls. I will also get our sorcerers to see if those heretics have entered our world, or that of our troll adversaries. They have the ability to see across many dimensions, there will be no hiding place.”

+ + +

The Troll City of Power
The Manjura Empire

Padow walked into the laboratory in the special clothes required for the clean room.

The orc scientist looked up from working at his computer and immediately stood up.

Padow waved his arm and smiled, “At ease Jankle”

“What brings you here my lord” Jankle the orc asked, “We have only begun to combine the virus with bacteria as it only arrived today”

“I understand Jankle” Padow smiled, “Unlike that idiot Strang, I know the value of the long game”

“Then how may I be of service” Jankle asked

Padow paused for a moment, “You have been more loyal to me than any troll”

“We orcs pride ourselves on honour and integrity Lord Padow” Jankle replied with pride.

“Good” Padow answered, “I need something from you to help me deal with a few awkward trolls who may cost us our victory over the human menace”

“You want a pathogen that will kill a troll without leaving evidence of dishonourable actions” Jankle said slowly and deliberately

“It will not be murder” Padow told the orc, “It will be ensuring our survival by removing those who would stand in the way of what needs to be done”

“I have just the thing my lord” Jankle smiled.

The orc turned around and went to a locked cupboard and typed in a coded number. He removed a small vial.

“This will kill in minutes” Jankle said as he removed the vial, “It is a skin contact poison and is undetectable” he told Padow as he handed it to him.

Suddenly Jankle felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, and then he looked down.

It was a dagger that Padow had stabbed him with, for a moment he recognised it as one that had been captured from a human that Jankle had once experimented upon before it died..

“I’m so sorry” Padow smiled at Jankle as the orc sank to the floor, “I cannot risk you talking. Those magic using humans are treacherous scum. Fancy the nerve of them attacking one of our own laboratories”

Padow pocketed the vial as he watched the life ebb out of the orc. It had been a shame to kill him, but there were other orcs who would create the bioweapon to use both against the humans in that magic using world, and that one that used technology, and besides, Padow needed to ensure that when he went after Strang, there would be no one to tie him to the poison he had had Jankle give him.

+ + +

Deep inside a lava tube
Inter Dimensional World 02

“Are you sure we want to do this” Sarah nervously asked, “What about that radiation barrier?”

“That’s only between Earth and the Mystical Realms” Janine replied, “Whilst my father was non corporal with the Spirit of Lust, he was able to establish that it would be safe to reach there by going by this world”

“It’s a bit like those times you can’t drive down a street because of an obstruction and you get put on a detour” The Brigadier General cut in.

“A little quiet here” Doctor Henshaw interrupted “me and the shape shifter here are trying to make sure we get this right”

Janine noticed that Doctor Henshaw had removed her top and was carrying it in her left hand whilst she held the orb in her right hand. Doctor Henshaw was now stripped to the waist, as Drake had insisted.

There was a cough from Drake.

“I Said that is not necessary” the Brigadier replied to the cough.
“If we are meeting with the trolls let them decide that” Drake countered.

Then Janine remembered what Drake had said about the troll customs, single unmarried female trolls were not allowed to wear clothes above the waist so the male trolls could see their mammary glands easily in order to assess if they would be adequate to suckle their troll children. Drake had also mentioned that some trolls imposed this on other races on IDW01, and that Doctor Henshaw and Janine should comply so as not to offend any trolls they should meet on IDW01.

The Brigadier General had countered by saying how the Clan Chief of the Manjura was going to make sure trolls did not follow or impose this out dated custom. Drake had pointed out that after three years, there was no guarantee that the Clan Chief of the Manjura would be in a position to do so, and that Janine and Doctor Henshaw had to remove their tops just to be on the safe side at the very least.

Janine took of her jacket, and then her shirt and unclipped her bra. She rolled these up into her jacket so like Doctor Henshaw had done with her clothes it was easy to carry.

Janine then noticed Drake signalling to the Brigadier General, that he wanted to speak with him, and so made sure she was in ear shot, if that were possible.

“It seems strange that a doppelganger from a completely different world knows how an orb from IDW01 works” Janine heard Drake whisper.

The Brigadier General did not seem to say anything, but it seemed obvious, that Drake still did not trust the doppelganger. The Brigadier General had more reason to mistrust it, but he had persuaded them to use it as a guide back at the EAD and the doppelganger had not betrayed that trust.

But did Drake have a point? The orb came from IDW01, or the Mystical Realms and yet this doppelganger had got these commands from men who use magic, who came from a totally different parallel universe.

“We’ve got it” Janine heard Doctor Henshaw yell

There in the cavern the tell-tale blue dot formed in mid-air and began to grow.

Within a minute it was a rich blue swirling vortex. Drake went through first, followed by Sarah and then the Brigadier General.

It was now just Doctor Henshaw, Janine and the Doppelganger left on IDW02

“You help vouch for the shape-shifter” Doctor Henshaw ordered, “I’m going back to Earth”

“You can’t” Janine insisted, “We need you”

“I need to get reinforcements” Doctor Henshaw insisted

“I am afraid Miss Sedlacek is right” The Doppelganger chimed in, “The humans who use magic will easily track you down on Earth, if the trolls don’t get to you first”

“Ok” Doctor Henshaw said reluctantly, and then all three jumped through the vortex together.

+ + +

Karam Tag Chou
The citadel of the Troll Emperors
The Mystical Realms

Janine heard the vortex close behind her as both the Doppelganger and Doctor Henshaw stepped out of it.

They seemed to have arrived at what looked like a large medieval castle near some mountains

Janine saw how the Brigadier General was trying to wrap his coat around himself and Sarah’s naked body. Then it hit her how cold the place was, she wanted desperately to put her top on.

Drake could somehow sense what she was thinking and stared at her and shook his head.

Janine, to pardon the expression, would have to grin and bear it.

“Miss Willows” Drake said sternly to Sarah.

Janine shivered as she saw Sarah pull her naked body away from the Brigadier General and step out of the warm coat into the freezing cold.

“I told you need to show respect for their customs and laws” Drake said with mild anger in his voice.

”Poor Sarah” Janine thought, but maybe Drake had a point, maybe she should be totlly naked like Sarah was.

Janine kicked off her shoes and then dropped her coat to the floor with her top still rolled up in it and started to undo her jeans.

Doctor Henshaw looked daggers at her, Janine just mouthed the words “Do it” at her, and seconds later Janine was completely naked too.

“Ok if this helps” Doctor Henshaw said reluctantly and removed the last of her clothes.

“So when those three die of hypothermia will you be happy?” the Brigadier General asked Drake
“Just get on with it” Drake retorted

The Brigadier General shook his head and then shouted “Hello” at the top of his voice

The place seemed deserted.

“There’s nobody here” Drake told the Brigadier General dismissively
“There has to be” The Brigadier said quietly, “This is the troll seat of power”

“I just wish I could have remembered how to land at Central City” Doctor Henshaw admitted to Janine, “It is so much warmer there”

“WHO GOES THERE” Came a loud shout, “FRIEND OR FOE” it added

Janine turned around

Whatever this creature was it was definitely not a troll, and it was armed and did not look friendly at all.

To be continued

[Sticks]

Episode VII– Rock and a hard place

Spoiler:

It is said that the past is a foreign country and that they do things differently there. It is also said that you can never go back. So basically we are compelled to move forward down the stream of time, and our presence are but footprints in the sands of time.

Sometimes we need to look back at where some things have started. Sometimes we may have to go back to the beginning, kind of.

For Brigadier General Samuel Peters and Drake Matthews, director of operations at the Entity Affairs Directorate, along with a small number of others, they have had to journey back to the Mystical Realms, by way of another world to get past a radiation barrier to deal with a major threat. A world of humans that use magic and a world of entities that use technology, both at war with one another, both using Earth as its battle ground.

This group has landed at Karam Tag Chou, the ancient citadel of the troll emperors to try and get help to counter the magic using humans, only to run into part of a patrol of creatures that are not their former troll allies…

+ + +

Karam Tag Chou
The citadel of the Troll Emperors
The Mystical Realms

Janine, like Doctor Henshaw and Sarah shivered as she stood naked, watching the creature approach with its sword unsheathed, with others like it close behind, they definitely did not look friendly.

The Brigadier General just gave a “huh!” sound.

“I recognise your race” the lead creature said menacingly, “You are not supposed to be here from what I was told”

“And gnolls are here in the ancient place of the troll emperors?” the Brigadier General retorted.

“We are here as the Yataxal, Clavial and Delethon are not in the troll confederation” the creature referred to as a gnoll explained, “We serve the trolls as part of our atonement for what one of our number did to Princess Sarah”

At this Sarah gave a “What?”

Janine looked at Sarah, Was she a princess?

It seemed that Drake had heard Sarah’s confused sound, “Not you Miss Willows” he told Sarah gruffly

“I assume you are referring to the eldest daughter of the former Emperor Graeme Andrews” the Brigadier General said back to the gnoll that seemed to be the leader.

The creature nodded.

“Those humans that tried to prolong the civil war you once had” the Brigadier General went on, “I was the warrior who helped to hunt down and deal with the other humans involved on our world”

“So you are the famous Colonel Samuel Peters” the gnoll leader asked

“I got a promotion since then” the Brigadier General answered back, “I was made a Brigadier General”
Janine noticed that the Brigadier General had left out the bit where he had been forced into retirement by certain US politicians

“You slew the Magnus Timor so I heard” the gnoll leader went on.

“Yes” Janine heard the Brigadier General say in a quieter voice.

The gnoll leader smiled and sheaved his sword, “You are indeed a warrior of honour” he said in a less aggressive tone, “But tell me two things”

“What would they be” The Brigadier General asked
“Why are you travelling with such a dishonourable creature in the form of that shape-shifter” the gnoll leader asked

“He is from a different group of doppelgangers, from another world similar to your one but different in certain ways” The Brigadier General replied, “he is not like the ones you may have dealt with on this world”

“I do not harm humans or anyone” The doppelganger interrupted and then sank to his knees, “I totally surrender to your gnoll empire”

“Our gnoll empire?” the gnoll leader queried as he walked past the others up to the doppelganger, “I have never known gnolls to be organised enough to build a grain store let alone an empire, it’s enough to keep this rabble in line” he added pointing back at the other gnolls

“But on our world” the doppelganger whined, “The Gnoll Empire rivals the United Clans of the Trolls, they even developed their own super bombs and missiles because the trolls developed had them. They only agreed to a truce because of the human invasion”

The Gnoll looked up the Brigadier General, “You invaded that other world you speak of?”

Janine saw the Brigadier General shake his head.

“These are different humans from yet another world” the Brigadier General replied, “Humans who use magic like the elves and the drow on this world do, but humans with no honour”

“So these are two other worlds?” the Gnoll asked

“At war with one another” the Brigadier General replied

“And using our world as a battle ground” Drakes interrupted.

The Gnoll then turned to Drake, “And you are here because?”

“We need your help to deal with these other humans who are using magic” Drake forced out. Janine could tell he was not comfortable admitting it, especially as he had been a subscriber to the old UK IDEC policy in dealing with inter-dimensional entities of Incarcerate, Interrogate and Exterminate.

“Alas” the gnoll leader went on, “there is only the troll chamberlain here who knows some magic, but only spells for ceremonial reasons, the elves who have the capability to counter magic are with the troll convocation in the Central City”

“I, I, I’m sorry” Doctor Henshaw stuttered, as like Janine she was shivering with the cold, because she had had to go naked on the orders of Drake, to make sure the trolls were not offended, “I only, knew how to come here”

“We may be able to assist you in getting there” the Gnoll then said to Doctor Henshaw. Then the Gnoll turned back to the Brigadier General, “And my second question for you is”

Then the gnoll leader pointed at Sarah, Janine and Doctor Henshaw, “Why are your females naked, we know how you humans do not cope so well with the conditions here at Karam Tag Chou due to the winds from the Karam Mountains”

“I felt” Drake interrupted, “That as the trolls prefer unmarried females are not allowed to wear clothing above the waist, it would be best if this Miss Sedlacek and Doctor Henshaw here complied with that custom. I did not order them to remove all their clothes, but if that helps gain the favour of the trolls, so be it. As for Miss Willows, at our headquarters for security reasons, our employees are only allowed to wear smocks made of a material we call paper. Those, who like Miss Willows and Miss Sedlacek who have a bad reaction to the paper smocks elect to work naked.”

“I had over ridden that rule briefly” the Brigadier General cut in, “Which is why although they are not wearing them, Doctor Henshaw and Miss Sedlacek here have their clothes with them, As for Miss Willows we had to escape our base in a hurry so she was unable to collect hers”

“But as I said” Drake interrupted back, “All three are prepared to go naked and endure these conditions in order to ensure good relations with you gnolls and the trolls”

The gnoll leader shook his head and laughed

“We gnolls have never allowed a bunch of trolls to dictate to our females” the gnoll leader told Drake, “As for the trolls here, they are of the Rachtal Clan”

“Which means they don’t subscribe to the troll traditions concerning single females that much” the Brigadier General interrupted.

“Exactly” the gnoll leader replied, “I have never seen a half-naked female Rachtal Troll up here. As for your females, the two with clothing here may get dressed” the Gnoll leader went on, “An unclothed human female does not offend us, but neither are we offended if they wear clothing”

“Sir?” Janine said to Drake It was all very well a gnoll giving permission, but she did not answer to gnolls, she had to answer to Drake

“Very well” Drake grunted, “Miss Sedlacek and Doctor Henshaw can get dressed for the moment, but when we get to Central City, I expect you to follow Troll protocol for single females and remove your tops, is that clear?”

Janine briefly closed her eyes briefly in relief and then, like Doctor Henshaw quickly started pulling on her clothes.

Then she saw Sarah, still standing in the cold air of Karam Tag Chou, shivering and crying. Unlike Janine and Doctor Henshaw she did not have any clothes to put on. Also the black eye and bruising she received from that man with the foil rapier was quite visible now.

The Brigadier General also seemed to notice the tears on Sarah’s face and removed his coat and insisted Sarah put it on. Sarah instinctively looked to Drake for permission.
Drake looked at Sarah and shook his head “Miss Willows, No!” he told her sternly, “I told you before”
“What is wrong with you Drake she’s freezing” The Brigadier General interrupted.
“She is still an employee of the” Drake tried to begin
“I don’t see you standing like that in these conditions” The Brigadier General retaliated.
“We have standards and protocols” Drake insisted
“Not here” the Brigadier General replied angrily, “This is Karam Tag Chou, not your Entity Affairs Directorate, your protocols do not apply here”

The gnoll leader coughed and then pointed at a building and said something in a language Janine did not understand. Immediately another gnoll moved quickly to the door and opened it. “This is a bakery run by the goblins that still serve here” the Gnoll told the Brigadier General, take your naked female in there with the others so she may get some warmth. I will look at seeing what if any clothing we can muster for her, but I cannot promise anything”

“That won’t be a problem” Drake replied, “Miss Willows is used to working naked”
“But not outdoors” The gnoll answered back, “And I suspect she will need to be clothed to avoid distractions amongst our gnolls and trolls”

The gnoll that had opened the door, ushered the group into the building.

Immediately as they entered Janine noticed the smell of bread baking. Janine also felt the welcome heat given off by the ovens. She could count about four small humanoid figures working at baking. These had to be the goblins the gnoll mentioned.

One of the goblins turned around and looked at them angrily, from the way he was dressed he was obviously the chief goblin baker, “Why are you disturbing us” he asked grumpily

“Sergeant Mergers orders” the gnoll who had opened the door snapped back at the goblin, “He wants these humans and this doppelganger to shelter here for the moment”.
“Without consulting me?” the chief goblin baker complained
“Want to make something of it?” the gnoll retorted.

“Oh very well sit round that table” the chief goblin baker told the group “and don’t get in the way” the goblin added in an irritated manner

Janine noticed the goblins looking up and staring at Sarah and pointing at her. Sarah was still naked because of Drake’s veto and had not accepted the Brigadier General’s coat, even though Janine could tell she wanted to put it on.

“And why is that female naked, what are you trying to do to my staff”” The chief goblin baker asked the group.
“Where we work” Drake began, before he was interrupted by the Brigadier General
“As this is his kitchen” The Brigadier General said to Drake, “Miss Willows had better put my coat on so we don’t annoy him any further”

Drake looked at the Brigadier General with anger in his eyes at being over ruled when from what Janine could make out he was trying to still enforce EAD rules. “That would be against regulations” Drake growled

“Drake, what is wrong with you” The Brigadier General protested at Drake, “The EAD is gone, those guys with the magic have taken it out. You set up a pointless security protocol that never caught a single infiltration of an HIDE47 and you are still trying to enforce it”

The Brigadier General turned to the doppelganger, “Present company excluded” he told it.

“Ok just this once as we are here, even though it contrary to EAD current policy, Miss Willows may wear your coat, but while we wait in this facility only,” Drake growled.

“I’m sorry” Sarah wept as she took the Brigadier General’s coat and put it on, “You’ll have my resignation as soon as we get back sir” Sarah sobbed, as she buttoned it up.

“There’s no need for resignations” the Brigadier General gently told Sarah

All Janine could think of was that time she had to visit the MOD headquarters naked so Drake could make a point, and Julie Osborne MP, the parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Defence had out manoeuvred him in insisting Janine put on some decorator’s overalls. If anyone would need to resign, if it came to it, it would probably not be Sarah, given the apparent dim view the minister took of the EAD security policy.

+ + +

The Castle Lodinium
(The alternate human world)

Lord Samail approached the large stone font where Quaylong and Sir Petros stood

“Any luck on tracking down that double walker” Lord Samail asked

“My lord” Quaylong answered, “I have used all sorts of magic to scry this world, including those darker magics that can overcome amulets against scrying”
“But you have found him not” Lord Samail replied before Quaylong could

“He is not here” Quaylong asserted, “Unless they know of a darker magic then he and that group of heretics including the shape shifter did not come to our world”

“Maybe they are working for our troll adversaries after all” Sir Timous volunteered, “Could they have escaped to their accursed world”

Quaylong shook his head “I would not be convinced of that either Sire, the heretics we interrogated before we ensured their impalement and drowning were firmly of the belief that the trolls had attacked and killed their comrades as well. Some had even heard that the trolls were looking for some pestilence to set upon us that would defy our magic”

“A pestilence that would thwart all the skills of the healers?” Lord Samail asked

“That is what they believed the trolls are after my Lord” Quaylong answered, “But back to the original question I have also been trying to scry across to that other world, and so far have found no sign of them there, but to be more certain we would have to enter the world of our troll enemies and run my spells there, or if you want me to check the world of the heretics I will have to go there also My lord. Our magic may be superior to their vile technology, but it can have limits too.”

“I wondered about that” Lord Samail replied, “Would this help?” At this Lord Samail produced a small disc of a greyish metal.

“What is it my Lord” Sir Petros asked

“Only a coin of Toth” Quaylong replied, “But we were told they were outlawed by the Grand Senate of Magic Users”
“A very short sighted move if you ask me” Lord Samail remarked as he handed it over to a grateful Quaylong

“Using this, I will be able to track that double walker down if he is on the Troll world or the world of the heretics from right here” Quaylong explained to Sir Timous. Quaylong turned back to Lord Samail and nodded his head, “I am impressed with the range of magical artefacts in your possession”

Lord Samail smiled, “I may not have been able to cast spells myself, but I have always been interested in the mystical arts”

“Once we have located these heretics” Sir Timous interrupted.
Quaylong anticipated what he was asking, “Then my liege, we will be able to open a gateway and either take them prisoner or kill them.

“That is very noble of you Sir Timous” Lord Samail replied, “However I would like to go up against this Double walker and slay it myself.”
“With us at your side” Sir Timous chimed in.

Lord Samail shook his head, “One of the other magic users who went with you has mentioned that the heretic citadel was not the main seat of their power and that they answered to another place in that heretic city of London. He got the location and I want you to go with him and lead a team to take that place. Once you have secured it and I have dealt with that double walker we will show that world, also who rules and they will be forced to abandon technology or die”

Quaylong frowned, “Will that not spread us to thin my lord, we still have yet to annihilate the trolls and those other races”

“I do not believe that will be a problem” Lord Samail smiled, then he took on a more serious tone, “It is possible that word of this heretic world may yet still escape to our world. We need to show to those who would upset our order, that heretical technology of either troll or human will crumble before the might of magic and our rule” With that Lord Samail brought his fist heavily down upon the stone font.

+ + +

The Troll City of Power
The Manjura Empire

Captain Strang arrived at the laboratory to witness the law enforcement dwarfs yet again making, as he saw it another hash of an investigation. He had heard of the break in at the laboratory and the murder of the orc scientist on the radio that he had tuned to dwarf’s frequency.”

“So any leads?” Strang asked one of the dwarfs.

“What’s it got to do with you” the dwarf retorted

“Do you know who I am” Strang instantly retaliated with before he could stop himself.
“Yes I do Captain Strang” the dwarf replied sardonically, “As I said, what has it to do with you”

Strang narrowed his eyes at the dwarf. This had been the second time that night that the dwarfs who had the law and order franchise showed that they were more interested in closing cases at the earliest opportunity than carrying out a proper investigation. First the murder of Belgran, hours after giving Strang support in front of that runt of a Lord High Troll, and now the murder of an orc scientist working on the pathogen he had obtained, his way rather than by way of that despicable elf that he had had executed on Earth.

The Lord High Troll had a motive for Belgram’s murder that was obvious, revenge for what would have been seen as disloyalty, but what about the murder of the orc scientist. Strang hardly knew them. What could that Padow be up to?

“I” Strang began as he addressed the uppity dwarf, “was the leader of the group that secured the pathogen from the other world of humans who use technology.

“What other world” the dwarf spat back.

Strang rolled his eyes. It was obvious that the existence of another world of humans had been kept a secret from the rest of the population.

“Officer” Strang sighed, “What I have to tell you is not well known”
“We are kind of busy” The dwarf said with irritation.
“This could be relevant to your investigation” Strang tried to insist.

Just then another dwarf emerged from the laboratory carrying a dagger, “Humans” the dwarf announced.

Strang could not see the dagger properly, but something about it seemed familiar.

The first dwarf turned back to Strang, “It’s obvious what happened, those treacherous humans came in a murdered an orc. No need for fantasy stories about other non-existent mythical worlds of humans. Case closed! Now go away before I have you arrested for wasting our time”

Strang stood there opened mouth for a moment and then turned away and left. What was the point in hanging around. Through his mind he kept wondering how could these dwarfs not see what was happening? He was certain he knew where that dagger had come from, but there would be no way the dwarfs would listen. If they attributed it to a raid by the humans again, then they would just turn it over to the defence ministry who would just shrug their collective shoulders.

Padow was up to something and Strang needed to contact his remaining patrons that night, assuming they were not all like those idiotic and lazy dwarfs.

+ +

Padow watched Strang from a dark vehicle with blacked out windows as he left the laboratory feeling dejected.

Padow looked at the vial of poison he hoped to use to rid himself of one troublesome troll and potential rival to his position of Lord High Troll. Arranging the hit on a council member that others had said took security too lightly and disguising it as a simple robbery was one thing, getting rid of Strang would be a whole lot different. He had to do it without arousing suspicion that it was connected with Belgram’s death and without suspicion falling upon himself. If only Padow could do away with that interfering council once and for all. If he could engineer the total annihilation of the human menace it would help increase his popularity, then the council would not dare oppose him.

Padow thought for a moment about the elf Callum, that Strang no doubt had murdered on that world called Earth. Unfortunately the humans had wiped out Callum’s family, that was why he was so eager to bring about the extermination of all humans everywhere, otherwise Padow could have framed a family member of Callum for a revenge murder of Captain Strang. Maybe it could be a tragic accident, after all the poison was undetectable according to Jankle the orc he had had to silence.

Padow briefly thought about Jankle the loyal orc he had been forced to kill, he had had no choice, what if the orc had talked?. Hopefully that necessity would not seriously impact the work of the orc scientists. The creation of the virus that would exterminate the humans and be impervious to their cure disease spells was now considered by all sides to be of the utmost priority. Padow’s use of a dagger confiscated from a human infiltrator would hopefully make the dwarfs conclude that it was another human attack.

Dwarfs were lazy and wanted for the quiet life, which made them so useful as they wanted the simplest and quickest resolution. Plant the right evidence, as he had done with the human dagger and they would close the case right there and then.

There was also the added bonus that Padow did not have to bribe them, it meant no messy paper trail leading back to him.

Padow watched as Strang disappeared into the night. For an instant he wondered if he should run him over with his vehicle.

Best not, the damage a troll would make would be a certain giveaway sign

The only way that Padow could safely take Strang out would be to make people believe it was a human who had done it. The trouble was, getting a human to do your bidding.

Padow grinned, did not Strang capture a few from that world they called Earth, to experiment on to make sure the new virus was lethal to humans?

What if one of those escaped and sought revenge on Strang? With suitable inducements Padow could get one of them to comply, he would just have to hide from them that as soon as they dispatched the troublesome troll captain, the human would be killed just after the assassination.

There was no way that plan could fail!

+ + +

Karam Tag Chou
The citadel of the Troll Emperors
The Mystical Realms

The door to the bakery swung open and there was what looked like the most beautiful woman Janine had ever seen, accompanied by a troll, coming into the bakery.

She was quite tall and her ears were pointed, as if she were a Vulcan out of Star Trek. She was carrying some cloth garment over her right arm.

“I am here to see the human called Sarah Willows” the beautiful woman said in a voice that seemed like a singing voice that burned right into Janine.

“Yes” Sarah said nervously

“There is no need for terror” the beautiful woman replied in her eerie high pitched voice, “I have brought you garments from my possessions that are spare”

Janine saw Sarah look up at the beautiful woman, “But they won’t be my size” Sarah said with resignation in her soft voice.

The beautiful woman smiled, “I am an elven healer, daughter of another healer who once helped another human by the name of Sarah. Eleven clothing of this type will fit whoever wears them”

Sarah glanced at the stern face of Drake, “I’m not sure I’m allowed”

“This is not the EAD Miss Willows” the Brigadier General spoke up before Drake could say anything, “We play by their rules so put them on”

“First” the female elf went on, “you must return the cloak you have borrowed”

“Yes mam” Sarah replied and slipped off the Brigadier General’s coat and handed it back to him. Again she made no effort to cover her modesty, that would be against EAD regulations!

Sarah then turned and faced the female elf as she approached her. Janine could see that Sarah was utterly terrified. All the time that Sarah had worked at the EAD in the section where they kept any of the entities, like pixies or leprechauns who had been trapped on Earth, they were kept at a safe distance. This time Sarah was coming face to face with one, almost alone and totally naked and vulnerable.

Suddenly a white light grew from the elf and encompassed Sarah completely and became so intense that Janine had to look away.

Then just as suddenly as it appeared, it was gone.

Janine looked back at Sarah.

She was now standing there, fully clothed and looking just as stunned. It was a nice white and dark green dress and very modest. As the elf had promised, the clothes were a perfect fit and it utterly suited her.

“Thank you” Sarah forced out.

“I see you have been the subject of violence, not from these people I trust” the elf then told Sara

Sarah shook her head, “It was one of the men we were running from” Sarah said quietly with terror still in her voice. “When I was naked I had had a towel I wrapped around myself. When they first captured us the man who hit me told me to drop it, but I hesitated, and didn’t drop it quick enough” Sarah explained in her trembling voice. “It was my fault I should have done as I was told without delay”

Janine saw a tear running down Sarah’s face and noted that Sarah had left out the fact it had been the Brigadier General who had told her to drop the towel, most likely to placate the man with the foil.

The elf then produced from somewhere a small green vial

The female elf then presented Sarah with the vial, “This will at least heal the physical bruising”

“It’s ok Miss Willows” the Brigadier General called out, “It’s a healing potion, you drink it all at once”

Sarah nervously took the vial, opened it and then drank it in one go as directed.

Right in front of their eyes, the bruising and the black eye on Sarah’s face vanished completely.

The female elf then turned to the troll, “If that is all sire, I beg leave to take my absence” she asked the troll.

“That will be all for now Kindall” the troll told the elf.

At that the elf left the bakery while Sarah went and sat next to Janine.

“Clan chief of the Rachtal I presume” the Brigadier General asked

“Deputy actually” the troll replied, “My master has gone to the Convocation while I help run the guard here at Karam Tag Chou.

“It is vitally important that we speak with the Clan Chief of the Manjura” The Brigadier General went on, “We need his assistance in dealing with a group of men from yet another world, powerful men who use magic and have no honour. We need counter magics”

“You have not heard then?” the Deputy troll replied

“He’s not dead is he?” The Brigadier General asked with anxiety in his voice

The troll shook his head, “No my friend, the Manjura Clan no longer guard the Dimension Jump orbs at Karam Tag Chou. When our worlds were separated due to the attempt by that evil half-sister of his, from that dishonourable Ghetto Troll clan, to attack your world, it seemed pointless to keep the orbs here. The Manjura clan took them to the Central City, where they are held in the Judicial Court of the Mystical Realms alongside the imprisoning orbs”

“We need to get to him as soon as possible” the Brigadier General explained to the troll, “As I explained to the gnolls, this group of humans who use magic just like your elves and drow do. They are at war with another world of trolls and other creatures, but these creatures use technology like we do, and have attacked our world as well”

“Is that that other world of trolls where that shape-shifter is from?” the Deputy troll sneered as he pointed to the doppelganger who was sitting with Sarah, Janine and Doctor Henshaw”

“Yes” the Brigadier General replied, “Except on that world, these shape-shifters have honour and the trolls do not”

“Trolls with no honour like the Ghetto and humans using magic” the deputy troll said angrily, “What kind of worlds are these”

“Two very dangerous worlds” Drake interrupted

“And you are?” the Deputy Troll demanded to know

“I am Drake Matthews, Director of the Entity Affairs Directorate on Earth in a country we call the United Kingdom” Drake replied, un-intimidated by the troll’s menacing tone of voice.

“It was a successor organisation to the one were had when we had our treaty of co-operation with the trolls” the Brigadier General volunteered.

“In the last few days, both sides in that war have attacked and killed our people” Drake went on, “The trolls who use technology have stolen lethal pathogens from one of our laboratories and these humans who use magic captured our base and most likely have killed everyone else in there. It was only by good fortune that the Brigadier General looks like the commanding officer of the man who led the raid that we managed to get into a position where we could escape to here”

“And how may I ask, did you do that?” the deputy troll asked, “We were told there was some barrier that meant our orbs and your machines could no longer pass between our two worlds”

“There is yet another world” Doctor Henshaw spoke up.

“Another one?” the deputy troll said with exasperation, “Is this world invading your realm as well?

The Brigadier General shook his head, “No Deputy Clan Leader of the Rachtal, that world has only unintelligent animals on it. It was somehow formed in a similar manner to this world, but from the mind of one person. We call that world IDW02 or Aurelia, it poses no threat to anyone”

“The radiation barrier that separates our worlds does not block access to that one” Doctor Henshaw chipped in.

“And do I take from that, that you can come to our world by way of this Aurelia?” the Deputy troll asked

“Yes” the Brigadier answered

“And what if those magic using humans followed you to that Aurelia” the troll asked

“I would hope” the Brigadier General went on, “That they would be outside a certain cave when a particular solar storm erupts”
“I do not understand?” the troll retorted.
“Because if they did, then they would be fried” The Brigadier General said with venom.

“So you need to get to the Central City” the deputy troll said after a pause.

“The dishonourable trolls who used technology we could just about handle” Drake spoke up, “against magic we were defenceless”

“From what the trolls on that other world may be trying to do” The Brigadier General went on, “our world may be in danger too”

“I would have to say that is true” the doppelganger piped up, “When I was forced into servitude to an elf they spoke of nothing else but destroying all humans, even the humans on the world these ones come from, even though they did not attack the trolls like the others did”

There was silence for a moment in the bakery, even from some of the goblins working there.

It was finally broken by the Brigadier General, “Two worlds at war with one another is one thing, but if it drags in our world that’s a very different matter. What if they discover your world and decide to destroy it too?”

“I will arrange your transport to Central city” the deputy troll said gruffly and then left the bakery”

“How are we going to get there?” Drake asked the Brigadier General, “Ox and cart?”

+ + +

The Troll City of Power
The Manjura Empire

Padow was checking his emails on his computer when his intercom went. He pressed the answer button and asked with irritation. “What is it now?”

“The Council of Trolls has convened an emergency meeting” the voice came of his troll secretary.

A sudden fear went through Padow, Had the dwarfs found evidence that he was involved in the killing of the orc Jankle?

Padow closed his computer down and checked his side arm. He wondered if he should have a word with members of the Lord High Troll Imperial bodyguard about mounting a coup against the troll elders. He could justify it on the grounds that the human menace needed a single mind to focus on the defence of their world.

But some trolls were fiercely loyal to the council and their constitution When the human menace first occurred that should have been the time to declare the emergency, but then his position had been week after having to despatch his ineffectual father, Madron.

Padow walked through the imperial palace corridors until he came to the council chamber.

In there was the council and Captain Strang. Obviously he was trying to convince them that he had something to do with the death of Belgram

“We have heard some disturbing news” the council leader spoke up

“Oh dear” Padow said with an air of innocence, and then glowered at Strang, “I heard that some reprobates had mugged poor Belgram and killed him, is that the news”

Padow caught the look of hatred from Strang, but what could he prove, the dwarfs had already written it off as a robbery gone bad.

“We are not talking about the slaying of one of our number here” the council leader rebuffed, “or the murder according to the authorities of one of our respected orc scientists, by a human incursion”

So the troll council had swallowed that one or were at least giving that impression

“Yesterday” another member of the council spoke up, “We were managing to track gateways from the world of our human enemy to try and see if we could make some kind of counter attack”

“One of Strang’s ideas?” Padow asked, his contempt for the captain barely hidden.

“No” the troll councillor retorted, “One of mine in collaboration with our hobgoblin allies to developed the ability to track gates”

“Oh” Padow replied, “A very good strategic move I’m sure”

This disturbed Padow, he had been trying to portray himself as the advanced leader using cutting edge science to defeat the human menace. This would help consolidate his position, and now someone else could be claiming the scientific high ground with an ability to track inter world gating

“This one however did not come to our world” the councillor went on.

“It went to the world of the other humans” the troll council leader interrupted, “It seems yours and Strang’s exploits into that world caught the attention of our enemy”

“So are you saying that there is either a traitor amongst Strang’s trolls or he was incompetent?” Padow asked in a sneering manner

“You sent in a treacherous elf” Strang shouted back, “How do we know it was not one of them?”

“It matters not how they found out about the other world of humans” the troll council leader interrupted forcefully.

“I see this could be serious” Padow replied, “If both worlds of humans got together, humans with magic and technology could I suppose seem invincible, but not against our new bio-weapon which”

“There is more” the other troll councillor interrupted.

“What?” Padow asked with impatience

“We tracked a gateway from that other world of humans to what seems like another world” the troll councillor continued, “We were preparing an expeditionary force when there was another gating from that world to a fifth world.”

“What?” Padow said in genuine astonishment, “I thought there was just this world and the two worlds of those accursed humans”

“It seems that there are more” the troll councillor replied, “What I also need to inform you is that shortly after the gate opened to that world from where they went to that fifth world, another gate from the other world of humans opened to that of our human enemy”

“This changes nothing”. Padow said with the resolution he felt befitting a Lord High Troll, “when we have the incurable viruses we will exterminate all the humans on all of those worlds”

“So what course of action does the council suggest” Strang asked
”Trying to ingratiate himself with the council” Padow thought as he glowered at the upstart captain

“One of our hobgoblins managed to open a gate to the fourth world and sent a probe there” the troll councillor went on, “We have no idea why those wretched humans went to that world, as there are but strange beasts and strange plant like creatures there”

“It sounds like it was more like a stepping stone to that fifth world” Strang observed.

“Humans are scavengers. Maybe they were travelling to other worlds to look for either allies or more plunder” Padow suggested, “They saw that world had nothing to offer and so moved on”

“Why doesn’t our leader mount a personal expedition to that fifth world” Strang ventured, “Maybe we can persuade the inhabitants there, if they are more than mindless beasts, that it would be in their interests not to support those despicable humans”

“And be seen to be deserting my post in the face of the human onslaught back home” Padow retorted, “I don’t think so. My place is here, overseeing the production of the new-weapon to wipe out the humans once and for all on both the worlds we know that are infested with that species”

“Why don’t both you and Strang go” the leader of the troll council suggested forcefully.

Padow eyed him with suspicion, that troll must obviously have seen the manoeuvrings both he and Strang played out between each other and was wanting the top spot for himself by getting rid of the pair of them.

“I don’t suppose you would come also” Padow sneered at the leader of the troll council, “as the spokes-troll for the council”

“But I am not a military troll like you and the captain” the troll council leader answered back, “And I am certain we will be capable of overseeing the construction of the new weapon in your absence. I am sure that the population will readily accept that you are heading a mission to another world to negotiate a treaty with those there to assist in the extermination of the human menace”

Then quite a number of the council seemed to agree that it would be a good idea if the Lord High Troll and the highly decorated Strang both showed a united front and went to deal with the human pestilence on this fifth world.

They were nothing but “yes-trolls” Padow felt, but what could he do? Picking off one troublesome troll one at a time was one thing, going up against the council as a whole was another matter. He should have taken out this troll first before that disgrace of a troll Belgram

+ + +

Karam Tag Chou
The citadel of the Troll Emperors
The Mystical Realms

Janine looked across at what she had been told was the old imperial residence in the large court yard where they had been told to assemble for their ride down to the city on the Central Plane.

The building was very ornate one side and on the other side of the large square was what looked like the entrance to an ornamental garden. Behind all that were the Karam mountains from where the cold winds blew down from.

Janine noticed that the Brigadier General was looking more subdued and remembering something from long ago.

“You’ve known him longer, is he alright?” Janine whispered to Doctor Henshaw

“This was where a technician who was one of his people was killed.” Doctor Henshaw answered, “That was slightly before I joined his team. Samuel saw it happen with his own eyes”

“Ah!” was all that Janine could reply

“DRAGONS” Sarah suddenly yelled out in terror.

Janine peered into the distance at the mountains and could now make out eight black specs coming closer, and Sarah was right, they were dragons, right out of the fairy tales she had read when she was a girl.

“This is what happened last time” Doctor Henshaw then said angrily at the troll deputy who was there with them, “What’s going on?”.

The troll just shook his head, “These dragons are now under our control, not the Magnus Timor cult like they were the last time”

“Won’t they eat us?” Janine asked the troll.

Again the troll shook his head, “No, dragons here go after specific prey, similar to the moose and elk on your world as they have more meat on them that they can digest. This is your transport to Central City”

“On our world” the doppelganger spoke up, “We have dragons, but they do not eat meat, they eat leaves and bushes”

Janine stared in fascinated horror as the dragons rapidly approached, she noticed that Drake and the Brigadier General were talking but could not work out what they were saying.

The group was then told to stand back as the first of the dragons started to land in the massive court yard”

Again it seemed like something out of a fantasy film as the dragons folded up their wings and what seemed like tall men with ears similar to the healer that had given Sarah clothing, climbed down from them.

They were elves too.

Trolls working with elves? That was never in the fairy tale books she had read as a child

One of the elves approached the troll deputy who was now standing with the Brigadier General and Drake, yet again Janine could not hear what was being said. She was not sure if it was because of the noise from the dragons, or some strange power of the elves to avoid being overheard.

Drake then broke away and approached the women and the doppelganger, “The elves will help you get on and off and put on whatever harness they have. Remember when we land at this Central City I want you two to remove your tops so your breasts are exposed according to troll custom” he ordered as he pointed to Janine and Doctor Henshaw, “As for Miss Willows” he went on “as that dress is a one piece dress you will have to remove all of it and go naked if need be”

“Actually” the deputy troll cut in, “That will not be required of your females. The Clan chief of the Manjura along with my clan chief managed to push through reforms so that non troll races are not expected to comply to that troll custom as they did before. Some female trolls still comply, but you should not be compelled to do so according to my understanding of the non-troll accords”

Drake glowered at the troll. In times past on Earth, no IDE would dare be allowed to contradict Drake as they would be shackled and confined for interrogation and neutralisation. Now they were on their world, and in one sense the roles were reversed, they were the entities from another world.

“Never the less” Drake continued, “We need their assistance so a little diplomatic goodwill gesture will not go amiss”

“I assure you” the troll deputy insisted, “times have changed, many of those trolls who enforced that rule on non-trolls were cleared out after their complicity with Brameana and the Ghetto trolls was revealed. As for those who were not tainted, they were considered guilty by association. All you would be doing would be satisfying any lusts you or the Colonel, sorry Brigadier General may have for seeing naked females”

Drake glowered at the troll, The troll was effectively accusing Drake of being a pervert for wanting Janine and Doctor Henshaw to go topless and Sarah to go completely naked. This was not accurate, Drake was a stickler for protocol, formality and rules, and the topless unmarried female issue had been what they were taught about society on IDW01 or as the locals called it, The Mystical Realms.

The Brigadier General approached Drake and the troll, “Will you be coming with us?” he asked

The troll shook his head, “Alas no, as I am still charged with the defence and upkeep of Karam Tag Chou, but my troll at arms will accompany you to Central City and like all loyal trolls of the Rachtal, does not even insist that unmarried female trolls show their bare breasts let alone non-trolls” The last bit the troll seemed to add appeared to be a dig at Drake.

The elves then started to assist the group mount their allotted dragon, and then they strapped them in.

The Rachtal Troll at arms needed no help in mounting his dragon.

Janine caught the terror in Sarah’s eyes. At the EAD she had not really had much dealing with her and could only surmise that with all the IDE’s that were terminated in her section, she might be looking at this as some kind of Kama.

They had been against IDE’s as they considered them a potential security threat, but now they were their only hope against a group of humans from another world who used magic, and another group of trolls who had technology and had stolen pathogens to create some kind of bio-weapon.

The elf on Janine’s dragon shouted a command in a strange language and the creature lifted its wings and started to run. Within seconds they had taken off. Janine was glad of the harness as it felt like being on a really big roller coaster.

None of them noticed a green vortex that appeared in the courtyard below

+ + +

The Ministry of Defence Building
Whitehall, London
England

Julie Osborne MP, the parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Defence sat in her office chair. On the other side of the desk was Sir Andrew Kneller MP from the Security Services Select committee.

“So any word of Mr Matthews?” Julie asked in a stunned tone, “have you found his body amongst the dead?”

“Not yet Minister. It is going to take a while to pump out the water from the directorate to do a full search of the building below ground level,.” Sir Andrew replied, “All we have been able to do so far at short notice Minister is to send down a remotely guided vehicle used by the navy for examining downed submarines.

“What have you told the operators about the directorate?” Julie asked

“Only that it is a highly classified installation, and at the moment they do not need to know what went on down there” Sir Andrew replied

Julie shook her head, “Is this some accident or are we assuming this was the work of those entities that attacked it before and the attack on Porton Down?”

“As for it being an accident Minister” Sir Andrew went on with a grave tone, “The ROV found that some of the dead had had their wrists and ankles nailed to the floor. One body was decapitated. I think this has to be hostile action”

“And some thought we could do deals with these entities from another world” Julie said with anger.
“Indeed Minister” Sir Andrew replied.

Just then Julie’s computer on her desk died and a small fan stopped working.

“Power cut?” Sir Andrew asked.

“There shouldn’t be” Julie replied, “I was told that we had some kind of backup power supply”

Julie picked up the phone to ring through to her permanent secretary. There was no dial tone.
“The intercom’s dead” she told Sir Andrew, “Looks like I will have to go out and see Meadows”

BANG

The door exploded in to splinters.

Julie looked up as two men walked through, dressed like something out of a second rate swords and sorcery movie.

One of them was carrying something round, like a ball in one hand and what looked like a sword used in fencing.

Then he threw it into the room

It was Meadows severed head

The second man fired a crossbow at Sir Andrew, killing him instantly.

“What is the meaning of this” Julie said angrily

“I am Sir Timous of the Zacharan” the man with the foil declared, “We are here to defend our world from your heretical technology and any alliance with our troll enemies. We have used our superior magic to counter your evil electricity and any firearms you may possess”

Then the man stepped forward rapidly and pressed the point of his foil up against Julie’s throat.

“I also do not take kindly to wenches speaking to me like that” he man said with venom

“Another man came in to the room, again dressed like something out of a second rate movie about wizards”

“This building is secured my liege, all resistance has been eliminated by magical means” the man in wizards clothed told the man with the foil, “We have also found where the leader of this kingdom resides within this city and are on our way to seizing that place too”

“So” the man with the foil said with more venom, “You are not the actual leader of this realm, you are a mere underling”

“Is there any reason we need to keep this wench alive?” the man with the crossbow asked”

“I can’t think of any” the man with the foil said to the terrified Julie.

Then with all his might he thrust the foil through her neck and into her brain stem and then withdrew it. He smiled as he watched her die.

No wench would ever speak to him like this one did and live!

+ + +

Central City
The Mystical Realms

Janine felt the heat of the desert air as her dragon came into land just outside the gates of what they called Central City. Apparently it had been built centuries ago around a spring that had been on a trade route in one of the largest plains in the Mystical Realms.

The walls looked like something out of a medieval text book.

The Brigadier General’s dragon had already landed along with Drake’s and the Rachtal troll at arms’

Doctor Henshaw’s dragon, had just beaten Janine’s to landing.

There was the further sound of dragons wings as the dragons carrying the doppelganger and Sarah came to land behind Janine’s dragon.

Quickly the elf, undid his harness and that of Janine’s and dismounted. Then the elf held up his arm to assist Janine in getting down from her dragon.

Janine thanked the elf and wandered over to where Drake, the Brigadier General and the troll at arms were standing. Doctor Henshaw and the others had the same idea.

Suddenly there was a loud whooshing sound behind them. Janine turned and looked as all the dragons took off and headed back the way they came, to the Karam Mountains.

Drake was looking stern at Janine, Sarah and Doctor Henshaw, “I know what that troll said but…” he began.

“I think before you give that order” the Brigadier General interrupted you should see who is coming to see us.

Janine could see five trolls approaching clad in some kind of leather armour. The troll in the middle was smaller than the four on either side. Then Janine noticed that the two trolls next to the middle troll, were female and were fully dressed.

“Oh no” the doppelganger suddenly shrieked “It’s the Lord High Troll, he’s found us”

Janine watched as the doppelganger sank to his knees in terror. She was confused. Why were female trolls covered, and how did the doppelganger know who the middle troll was.

The Brigadier General walked forward towards the middle troll, and it became clear that the two seemed to be comrades if not friends.

“Take your tops off NOW” Drake growled at Janine and Doctor Henshaw.

Janine noticed that Sarah had removed her dress and the underwear that went with it and was kneeling naked the elven clothing folded by her side. Sarah had her head bowed in submission.

“Do not undress on our account” the middle troll called out, “These two female trolls are single and unmarried and yet we no longer insist they bare their assets to male trolls. I brought them out so that your female members did not feel compelled to obey out dated troll customs.”

Janine saw as the troll in the middle gazed upon Sarah and shook his head

“Let the unclothed one get dressed again” the troll called out, “And she need not pay me homage”

Sarah lifted her head and mouthed the word “What?”

“Getup and get dressed Miss Willows” the Brigadier General called out, “You are not expected to strip off now”

“But I thought” Drake spluttered

“You are out of date my friend” the middle troll interrupted and then approached the frightened doppelganger

“Sir?” Sarah called out, still not sure if she still had to remain naked, as ordered by her boss, Drake

“You might as well do as the Brigadier General and the troll say” Drake said with irritation. He seldom liked being contradicted and hated it even more when he was proved wrong

Sarah stood up and pulled the elven clothes back on.

“So what kind of shape-shifter is this” the smaller troll sneered at the quivering doppelganger
“One from another world of trolls and other creatures” The Brigadier General replied, “But trolls that use technology like we do and not magic”
“Are they as despicable as the doppelganger assassins on our world?” the smaller troll asked
“No” the Brigadier General replied, “They are as honourable as you and I”

“Please be quick when you execute me Lord High Troll” the doppelganger squeaked out.

“Lord High Troll” the small troll said with incredulity, “That was what my misguided and treacherous half-sister wanted to call herself. I am merely the Clan Chief of the Manjura clan of trolls.”

The doppelganger lifted up his head, “I do not understand” he said quietly, “I have seen you, you are Padow, the Lord High Troll of the Manjura Empire”

“Not on this world” the smaller troll replied with a gentler voice

“Sire” yelled one of the other trolls who had come with this smaller troll

Janine looked around to see what the larger male troll was pointing at.

There were a number of green swirling vortices in the distance.

“Friends?” the small troll asked
“I don’t think so” the Brigadier General replied.

Just then Janine saw what looked like a large armoured personnel carrier coming through one of the vortices, with an army of what seemed like troll infantry walking beside it

“RUN” the Brigadier General yelled.

Janine found herself with the others running towards the city gates.

Then there was the sound of something flying past them.

Bullets – somebody was shooting at them.

There was a grunt

One of the larger trolls was hit and killed.

The troll at arms stopped and pulled out his cross bow in a valiant attempt to see off whoever these invaders were. He was the next one to be killed.

There was a cry of pain – Drake had been hit.

One of the female trolls and the remaining large male troll picked Drake up, and continued past the city gate into the walled city.

A horn was sounded and the large wooden gates slammed shut behind them.

Janine looked around to see who had made it.

Sarah and the doppelganger, like her had seemed to make it, as had the Brigadier General and the small troll.

Doctor Henshaw had been hit and the other female troll had been helping her into the city. Drake was in a bad way.

“Healing potions” the small troll yelled out.

Immediately both the female trolls pulled out small vials like the one Janine had seen at Karam Tag Chou, and put them to the lips of Drake and Doctor Henshaw.

Just then there was the sound of something screaming over the walls, it was some kind of rocket. It landed in what to Janine seemed like a street full of strange looking creatures and exploded, killing several.

There were more screams and more rockets. The city was now under attack!

Next they had to scurry from the door as what seemed like armour piercing bullets started splintering it. This fortified city may have been a good defence against armies with swords and arrows, but against modern artillery, from who knows where, it seemed to offer little defence

Then there was the ominous rush of wind in front of them as a blue dot appeared in mid-air and grew rapidly.

Then out of it stepped a man looking exactly like the Brigadier General, but in leather and chain mail armour accompanied by several men with cross bows pointing at them.

“So one of you is the double walker” the man in chain mail said with anger as he pointed his own crossbow at the Brigadier General and then another Brigadier General.

Two Brigadier Generals? – The doppelganger had obviously took on the Brigadier General’s form to try and do who knows what.

“Quaylong” the man in chain mail yelled, “A revel shape shifter spell, then I can kill the real double walker and his troll allies”

Another missile impacted another building in the city

Suddenly the city gates burst open, finally broken into pieces by some kind of artillery shell

The technological trolls with heavy weapons were now free to invade the Central City, and yet there in the city were the humans who used magic. Both groups intent on killing the former members of the EAD and this Clan Chief of the Manjura ally the Brigadier General had sought aid from.

To be concluded

[Sticks]

Episode VIII– Shifting Alliances

Spoiler:

Sometimes it is not your day. Often the bad guys win.

In London the heart of the UK government has been attacked by humans from an alternative reality where mankind went down the route of magic, rather than technology. On the Mystical Realms the remaining members of the Entity Affairs Directorate are now caught between the magic using humans and the technological trolls who have attacked the Central City

+ + +

The Houses of Parliament
London, England



(Two Weeks Later)

Lord Samail of the Petros lands strode into the deserted chamber of the House of Commons as he exited the gateway from his castle.

Behind him in chains and under armed guard came Brigadier General Samuel Peters, Drake Matthews and Janine Sedlacek. All three were stripped naked, to ensure their humiliation.

Sir Timmous of the Zacharan turned to face him and fixed his eyes on Janine and pointed at her, “Why is that wench still alive my liege?” Sir Timous asked, barely able to hide his anger.

“Since the other wenches were spirited away while confusion was caused by that doppelganger, not to mention the interruption by our troll enemies on that other troll world” Lord Samail went on, “She is the only one familiar with traversing to the other worlds we found, thanks to these heretics”

“Even so my liege” Sir Timous said angrily, “She must be punished for the loss of Travis”

“Maybe later” Lord Samail replied gruffly, “What progress have you made with this heretic world”

“We have only just started with this realm they call the United Kingdom, as there are many on this world. With regards to this realm, we have put to the sword their so called Prime Minister and much of his ministers” Sir Timous explained, “Their weapons, like on the troll’s world were no match for our magic. As for their so called Royal Family, they are held in prison as hostages to ensure co-operation from the wider population of this realm. We have also used magic to remove from this city that accursed force called electricity to prevent their use of infernal technology and have ordered the closing down of all their infernal power stations and destruction of technology. Our use of scrying has helped us root out and destroy any resistance before it begins. This realm of United Kingdom is just about ours”

“Did you do as I suggest use some of the heretical technology against the other realms on this world?” Lord Samail asked

“Indeed I have my liege” Sir Timous smiled, “Using our magic users, what they call an independent nuclear deterrent is in place at your command to attack any other realm on this world of those who will not submit to your rule. The world of the heretics will be vanquished just like we have been doing with the troll’s world”

“You are probably wondering” Lord Samail then broached, “Why I have brought these prisoners along”

“It had crossed my mind my liege” Sir Timous answered, “Especially the double walker. I thought you were going to dispatch it as soon as you caught it”

Lord Samail looked at Samuel and then back at Sir Timous, “Quaylong warned me that a true double walker cannot be killed my non magical means as they are spirits. As soon as we returned to my castle, He carried out the spell required to kill such creatures and it had no effect. It seems he is a human after all”

Sir Timous stared at Samuel intently, “But he is your exact image my liege, how can this be”

“Quaylong used his skill at loosening reluctant tongues” Lord Samail smiled, “It seems our world and this heretic world are what they call parallel universes. This man is my counterpart in this heretical world”

Sir Timous thought for a moment, “So do I have a counterpart in this world?”

“Not anymore” Samuel uttered, “He’s dead”

Sir Timous was incensed and walked right up to Samuel and swiped him with his fist, knocking Samuel to the floor.

“PRISONERS WILL BE SILENT” Sir Timous yelled at Janine Drake and Samuel.

“SIR TIMOUS” Lord Samail said at the top of his voice

“I beg your pardon my liege” Sir Timous apologised, “But we cannot let prisoners speak out of turn”

“Well kindly leave the discipline of these prisoners to me” Lord Samail replied, “I need you to continue with the neutralisation of this world using all means. We cannot afford to let any of their heretical technology to fall into the hands of our enemies. The news of what they call a virus is disturbing enough should the trolls be able to develop it”

Sir Timous smiled, “Well from what I have gleaned on this heretical world, there has been great mistrust between the various realms, leading them to build weapons that could wipe out all life on this wretched world. They even have a name for it, Mutual Assured Destruction”

“That is most excellent news” Lord Samail beamed, “If we can get these heretics to wipe themselves out at their own hands, then we will be able to show to those who question our order the dangers of technology and so called democratic heresies”

“Plus we deny this world to the trolls” Sir Timous reciprocated, “but you were going to say why you had brought these prisoners along”

“I thought we could use them for, as they say here, propaganda issues” Lord Samail explained, “I thought before it is totally destroyed, we would make them go on this means of communicating images across vast distances called television and denounce technology, their heretical views and endorse us as their new masters”

“In your dreams” Drake muttered.

Lord Samail turned to Drake, “Our magic users will make you do what we command” he told him authoritatively before turning back to Sir Timous, “But since we have discovered the precarious way in which the various realms here co-exist, maybe their annihilation is a better plan”

“Then lets execute them now if they no longer serve a purpose my liege” Sir Timous said with utter venom, “Starting with that wench, I want to throttle the very life out of her with my bare hands for what happened to Travis”

Lord Samial thought for a moment, “would not their execution broadcast on this television be more effective?”
Sir Timous shook his head, “They have such images there already, some fake and some real, it would serve no purpose my liege”

“Oh very well” Lord Samial, “we will execute them now and then we need to precipitate this mutual assured destruction as soon as possible to prevent the trolls gaining any more assistance from this miserable world”

Sir Timous smiled a cruel smile at Janine and then pulled from his neck some cravat he had been wearing. Lord Samail stepped as side so Sir Timous could get to her.

Sir Timous pulled the cravat taught to create what was obviously going to be a garrotte to end Janine’s life. Finally this must be delayed justice for Cindy. Janine could not help thinking of her as her thoughts went to the innocent woman that was hanged in prison in her place and made to appear that Janine had committed suicide so she could escape from Holloway.

Suddenly there was a blinding light that flooded the chamber and there in mid-air were what appeared to be three small naked men wearing green hats.

Each grabbed one of the prisoners and in a flash they were gone.

Lord Samail turned to Sir Timous, “What kind of sorcery is this?” he asked in a state of shock

“I know not my liege” Sir Timous explained, “But they looked like some of the minions of the gnolls”

“The gnolls joining forces with the trolls?” Lord Samail said in disbelief
“I had heard that that was so my liege” Sir Timous replied, “But I had no idea that they possessed magical ability”

“This changes nothing” Lord Samail said with anger, “We must make sure this world is no longer available to our troll enemies. I WANT THIS WORLD DESTROYED”

Lord Samail then nodded at one of the magic users that accompanied Sir Timous. Immediately he produced a small orb and chanted.

Within seconds a blue dot appeared in mid-air and grew in size.

Lord Samail turned to enter the now swirling blue vortex.

“When I return my liege” Sir Timous called out, “This world will be destined to be nothing but ashes”

“It had better be” Lord Samail uttered just before he entered the vortex, “Our way of life depends on it”

+ + +

Central City
The Mystical Realms

The Clan chief of the Manjura sat in the dungeon cell listening to the sounds of large heavy vehicles pass by outside. These vehicles would not be out of place on the world of the humans, but these were bigger and driven by trolls, but trolls with no honour. Some even had the affront to say they had come from some kind of Manjura empire!

A troll clan may have ancestral lands, but an empire? Such a notion was preposterous

He was now the last troll alive from the troll convocation as all the others had been executed on the orders of that abomination that looked like him and yet called himself the Lord High Troll.

What was also worse, that there was even a troll in the image of his long dead former troll lover Captain Strang who even had the audacity to use the same name. That troll was also without honour and just as bad as that abominable Lord High Troll.

The Clan chief of the Manjura had noticed on his capture when the city fell to what the humans had called the technological trolls, that there was some kind of atmosphere between this Lord High Troll and this other Captain Strang, Maybe that was why this Captain Strang had not yet issued him with a death warrant.

If only the building where the elven wizards were meeting had not been hit, by what the humans had called rockets, then they could have sent them packing back to their own wretched world.

What was also perplexing had been the appearance of what appeared to be a perfect double of the human he referred to as the Colonel, accompanied by humans using magic.

Humans using magic!

With all the confusion of that day, somehow the Colonel had been captured along with two other humans by these magic using humans.

Now all the Clan Chief of the Manjura could do was sit in his prison cell and await his place before the technological troll firing squad.

Just then there was the sound of someone coming to his cell.

The Clan Chief of the Manjura stood up; he would not show fear as he faced his execution.

But no, it was a guard with an elven female in a hooded cloak. She had come with a basket, most likely of food, the hood obscuring her face.

“Your meal for today” sneered the armed troll guard.

“May I enter the cell to give the prisoner his meal” the female elf nervously asked
“Can’t you pass it through the bars?” the guard replied.
“One of the items as you saw is on a dish and cannot be tipped sideways” the female elf replied, again in a terrified manner.

These technological trolls must be a fearsome enemy if even elves were intimidated by them

“I will let you in and lock you in” the troll said with irritation, “If I remember I may let you out at suns down”

The guard then pointed his gun at the Clan Chief of the Manjura while he unlocked the cell door. The Clan chief just stood his ground and looked at the female elf with some despair, elves capitulating to these invaders, who next?

The female elf meekly entered the cell and stood clutching the basket and looking at the floor, so he could not see her face properly. For some reason, it seemed to the Clan Chief of the Manjura, that this female elf was scared of him as well.

The armed troll guard then locked the cell door, and then with a sneer called out, “Before you ask, we checked it, it’s just food, and we searched the girl”

The troll guard then vanished.

The Clan Chief of the Manjura took the basket and placed it on the bed. Sure enough, there were no hidden means of escape, not that getting out of the dungeon would help, since the whole city was under control of these technological trolls.

The Clan Chief of the Manjura turned back to the female elf, “What is your name my dear?” he asked her gently, “I will not harm you”

The female elf looked up at the clan chief of the Manjura. She looked very familiar. Then the Clan Chief of the Manjura could see she was not an elf, she was a human female.

“Sarah Willows sir” the female human replied.

“And I am Major Bolak” Said another voice, “Remember me?”

It was a Drow, a dark elf and normally the arch enemy of elves.

The Clan Chief of the Manjura eyed him with immediate suspicion, “Yes I do, and we fought together against my evil half-sister Brameana”

“Well” Major Bolak continued, “We heard what had happened and were contacted by Doctor Charlene Henshaw. I knew there was no way we could smuggle anything in to you in a basket, so I used this human here as a distraction focus, so my distraction spell would hide me as I followed her into your cell. These trolls are so easily fooled”

“Well” The Clan Chief of the Manjura asked, “What happens now”
“You can eat if you really want” Major bolak sneered, “Or we can hold hands whilst I teleport us away from this prison”

“Suits me fine” The Clan Chief of the Manjura answered, “But then what”

“We show you the power of the drow and how it is worth your while to include us in your dealings with the other races”
“You want us to drop our alliance with the elves” The Clan Chief of the Manjuura said contemptuously.
“As if you had much choice my little troll friend” Major Bolak smiled, “But we would never go that far, just recognition of our magical superiority over the elves and like them associate membership in the troll convocations. Why should elves have all the fun?”
“The humans have an expression” the Clan Chief of the Manjura growled, “You have me over a barrel”
“That’s one way of looking at things, and we could press you for more concessions except for one thing” Major Bolak replied
“And what would that be” The Clan Chief of the Manjura asked, his eyes narrowing at the drow.
“Drow High Council does not take kindly to outsiders trying to interfere in our affairs” Major Bolak answered back, “The humans both American and Russian respected that, these other trolls do not. It sends a dangerous precedent to others like some humans we could mention”

“But we went out of our way to prevent others going to your world” Sarah protested softly.
“I know your lot did” Major Bolak replied softly, “But sadly not all humans on your world were so respectful of our sovereignty as you are”

Major Bolak then held out his hands.

Sarah gently clasped one of his hands. The Clan Chief of the Manjura reluctantly took Major Bolak’s other hand. He was more amenable to taking Sarah’s free hand.

Major Bolak then said an incantation, and in seconds the three of them were gone

+ + +

An Island off of the coast
Somewhere on Earth

“Now you know how Sarah felt” Samuel said to Drake as the offshore breeze played on their naked bodies.

Janine could just about remember back to when she had gone naked at Karam Tag Chou. This place, where ever it was, was not much better. She still felt ashamed that she had been unable to block the spells they had used on her to extract information about Earth and the Entity Affairs Directorate, it had been the same apparently with Drake and the Brigadier General, but that did not make it any better. Maybe she deserved to be cold and naked on some island in the middle of nowhere.

The strange creatures, most likely pixies had vanished as soon as they had been dropped here. All they had done was to disintegrate their chains before they went.

As she looked up through the trees, she could see some kind of castle on the top of what seemed like a tall hill. To their left, there seemed to be some kind of terraced house of a definite Earth like design. Nothing like she had seen on that other world of humans or what little she had seen of the Central City on the Mystical Realms.

Suddenly three pixies appeared carrying bundles of cloth. They were not the same as the ones who had rescued them from Lord Samail, but like them they were all naked save for green hats

“Sorry about leaving in the lurch” squeaked the lead pixie, “but the others needed to make sure their teleport was not followed, so the pixies that grabbed you needed to travel further on”

The pixies placed the bundles on the ground, “Not the latest from Paris” the lead pixie squeaked, “but they will suffice”

Samuel picked one up; it seemed to be a tunic and some britches. He put them on, and like the dress that Sarah had been given, it fitted him perfectly.

Drake picked his up, and likewise it was britches and a tunic.

Janine picked hers up. It was only a skirt. No top.

It was better than nothing, so she put it on. She instinctively crossed her arms to cover her modesty, but then remembered how Drake was about using arms to cover up and put her arms by her sides so her breasts were exposed and on full view. Anyway she had been used to going naked in front of men at the EAD, it would have been nice to have had a top, but if this was the way it was to be, she would have to put up with it.

“Tresco you numbskull” one of the pixies squeaked at the other, “These are not trolls”
“Sorry Kenver” the other pixie squeaked back, “I thought the trolls insisted that unmarried females from other races complied and had to go topless”
“Not here” the pixie identified as Kenver countered in an exasperated tone

“The trolls don’t even insist on those rules for themselves nowadays” Samuel cut in, and started to remove his tunic.

The pixie identified as Kenver flew up to Samuel, “No need to marry her, we can fix this”

Suddenly a small naked female figure appeared, wearing a brown hat and carrying a bundle of cloth. She flew over to Janine and handed her a tunic. As soon as Janine took it, the female pixie vanished.

Janine wasted no time putting it on. She did not even seek the approval of Drake, until after it was on and then all she got from Drake was a grunt.

“Thanks for the rescue” Samuel told the lead Pixie, “But we still need to do something about this Lord Samail and those who have seized power, they plan to precipitate a nuclear war. By the way where are we?”

“St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall” The pixie known as Kenver replied, “As for the humans who seized power, they are masters of the magic arts, even more powerful than us”

“So that’s it, we’ve lost” Janine asked with despair, “There just seems to be no way to fight against their magic ability, which is probably why those technological trolls were after that bioweapon”

“Even if we did go back to IDW01 via IDW02” Drake cut in, “From what one of the guards said at that Castle Lodinium, the technological trolls have taken that Central city and executed the Elven High council. This lot who have taken Britain believe if the trolls are too busy dealing with subduing IDW01, then that will make it easier for them to attack them when they believe they will be able to deal with them once and for all”

“Excuse me” one of the other pixies asked, “We know you mean our home, the Mystical Realms when you say IDW01, but what are technological trolls?”

“There are two other worlds” Samuel explained, “One with the humans that use magic, that have seized power here, but there is another one where trolls, elves, pixies and such use technology like we do but do not have magic”
“Elves and pixies without magic” squeaked the third pixie, “how can that be?”

“One of our number who got left behind on your world” Samuel went on, “said it was like something our physicists call super symmetry which relates to what they call the Standard model of how everything in the universes are constructed. We know of humans using technology, elves pixies and trolls using magic”

“But with these other two worlds” Janine interrupted “it’s kind of reversed where humans have the magic and the trolls and other races have technology”

“But those two worlds are at war with one another” Samuel cut back in, “And they have been using our worlds as battle grounds”

“The other world of humans, have seized power here in Britain” Drake joined in.
“And the other world of trolls have captured parts of your world” Samuel added.

The lead pixie shook his head, “How can we free our world?”
“We have to somehow work together” Samuel replied, “We have to kick out those who have seized our worlds and make sure they can never cross from one world to another”
“We also have to stop these magic using humans starting World War three” Drake interrupted

One of the other pixies raised his hand then asked, “I thought it was the case with our two worlds that we could not cross between them anymore”

“There is” Samuel replied, “We went there by way of another world which has only animal level life, to get around the radiation barrier”

“There is one race whose magic may match these magic using humans” the other pixie ventured.
“Which one is that?” Drake asked

“You won’t like this answer” the pixie said apologetically
“WHO?” Drake demanded forcefully

“The drow” the pixie replied nervously
“That’s not a bad idea” Samuel responded
“But they are evil” the pixie insisted
“I know their reputation” Samuel countered, “and we have collaborated with them before”

+ + +

Central City
The Mystical Realms

“What do you mean they have escaped?” Captain shrieked at the guard

The troll guard just shrugged his shoulders, “There was no way he could have got out. He only had one visitor a female carrying food. I swear she looked like a human..”

“She had to have been an elf” Strang interrupted, “Round up twenty elven women and children immediately and have them hanged on the mass gallows. Leave their bodies until suns set and tomorrow execute another twenty until the elves turn over this elven female and this Lord High Troll look alike”

“Yes sir” the troll guard responded.

“You are lucky I do not have you joining them on the scaffold for your incompetence” Strang shouted at the troll guard.

“Blaming others for your own failings as ever Strang?” a voice came from behind

Strang turned around, it was Padow, the Lord High Troll

“And I had so wanted to see this double of myself” Padow sneered, then before Strang could accuse him, “And no I did not have anything to do with their escape, as if I would”

Strang saw the guard hesitating, “Don’t you have orders to follow?” Strang barked at the guard

“Belay those orders” Padow said forcefully,

“Yes sir” the guard wearily replied

“But we cannot let this stand” Strang objected, “An elf did this so elves must be made an example of, to send a message

“We start rounding up groups and executing on mass” Padow went on, “then they will think there is nothing to lose in challenging our authority”

“So just like with the humans we do nothing” Strang replied angrily

“Our orc scientists back home should still working on the pathogen to wipe them out and the humans on that other world” Padow responded, “Which if I recall is my plan. The humans on that other world, have an expression, brains are better than brawn, something Strang you fail to see”

“You let this escape slide” Strang said through gritted teeth, “And it will inspire others to challenge our authority”

“You investigate” Padow answered back, “when we first came here there were definite sightings of those wretched humans who use magic against us and their collaborators from that technological human world. How do you know it was not one of them? As ever Strang, you jump to conclusion and blame the elves because you have a pathological hatred of them where I see them as allies” Then Padow dropped his voice and growled, “Don’t think I don’t know what really happened to Callum”

+ + +

The Castle Lodinium
(The alternate human world)

Quaylong approached Lord Samail as he looked over the castle wall, “I understand that the prisoners were taken by small creatures similar to the ones that serve the gnolls”

Lord Samail turned around, “You heard correctly, the gnolls must be as technologically advanced as our troll enemies”

Quaylong shook his head, “They appear to be using magic my liege. I briefly visited that chamber where it happened on the heretic world when I heard what happened. I was able to sense the residual magic apart from our entry to the place. It is possible that they came from that other world of trolls, the one where you captured the prisoners. Why their creatures would be working with the heretics, I cannot work out. Maybe if I…”

Lord Samail raised his hand and interrupted, “It matters not, Sir Timous has an excellent plan to use the heretics own technology to eradicate life from that miserable world”

“That is an excellent idea my lord” Quaylong smiled, “Then when word of this world where humans used technology instead of magic comes to the peasants, they will see what technology does”

“Precisely” Lord Samail agreed, “If we are to preserve our way of life we must make an example of them. In one sense they are worse enemies than the trolls.”
“How so my liege?” Quaylong asked, “Do not the trolls use technology too?”
“But they do not look like us Quaylong” Lord Samail answered, “We can rally the peasantry against them, but the heretics are human, their example will be more effective to the lower orders on our world”

“Something we cannot allow to happen” Quaylong conceded

+ + +

A wilderness cave
The Walong Mountains
The Mystical Realms

They had been walking for quite some time in the wilderness from where Major Bolak had said it had been safer to reappear to avoid revealing the location of where, as the humans put it, their base of operations was, when the Clan Chief of the Manjura spotted the cave with the garden outside.

Next to him was the human female Sarah Willows and Major Bolak, a drow that he had apparently worked with in the alternate time line.

In the mouth of the cave stood a kobold talking to another human female. Just then he spotted in the garden another troll. A troll he had hated all his life, his own father, the former Lord Low Troll.

The Clan Chief of the Manjura stopped, “Why is he still alive or at least cast in some dungeon”
“Because we had a deal with him, and it is thanks to him your half-sister is not ruler of this world” Major Bolak replied forcefully

“But I thought he was just a hermit troll by the name of Madron who lived with an old servant” Sarah said with confusion in her voice.

“He is now Miss Willows” the drow explained

“And who is this servant?” The Clan Chief of the Manjura asked
“Meetal” Major Bolak replied

The Clan Chief of the Manjura narrowed his eyes, “I just about remember him. He hovered in the background a lot and ran errands, I dare say he should have faced justice for complicity in my father’s crimes”

“It was thanks to him also in the alternate timeline that we helped rid ourselves of your half-sister.” Major Bolak responded with irritation, “Besides which, both of them are under the watch of the drow and both of them are where they can not cause any further issue”

“So are they your prisoners?” Sarah asked

“Not officially” Major Bolak replied in a softer manner, “but in one sense they could be, however as they both show no desire to return to their old ways and live this simple existence, they are the easiest charges we have dealt with.” The drow paused and then added, “Plus he makes a very good dry targron berry wine”

They approached the cave entrance, and then the Clan Chief of the Manjura recognised the other human female, it was Doctor Charlene Henshaw from that Earth based organisation called Inter Dimensional Entity Control. Then he remembered she was among the group that had made it to Central City from Earth, just before those dishonourable trolls invaded and took the city.

“We have him” Major Bolak said to Charlene.

“Excellent” The elderly troll interrupted and started to approach them, “We have so much catching up to do”

“Do you think a few words and a few cups of targron berry wine will make up for what you have done over the years” The Clan Chief of the Manjura spat back

“I had to do what I had to do” the elderly troll countered, “You had no idea how hard it was back then, keeping the peace between several races who were at each other’s throats”
“Well we managed it without your tyranny and cruelty” The Clan Chief of the Manjura retaliated

Major Bolak stepped between the two trolls, “This is all very well, but we do have things we need to do concerning the situation at hand”

“I’m afraid Major Bolak is right” Charlene added, “Madron told me how it was, and”

“So you gave up calling yourself the Lord Low Troll then” The Clan Chief of the Manjura interrupted with Venom

“ENOUGH!!” Major Bolak shouted at the Clan Chief of the Manjura, “We do not have time for this. For the record, we drow recognised the difficult position your father was in at the time, and if the drow had been in charge we too may have had to make the same decisions that he did. If I may say so, your father would have made a very good drow”

“Coming from a drow” the elderly troll cut in, “That is indeed a good compliment, I always admired your pragmatic way of handling your affairs, apart from giving the Hadreth too much power in the other timeline”

“One failing I rectified in this one” Major Bolak reciprocated.

The old troll nodded in appreciation.

“A drow in alliance with a troll” The Clan Chief of the Manjura said with disgust.

“Clan Chief” Charlene cut back in, “Please, both our worlds have been attacked, we need to work together this time”

“Out of deference to the humans” the Clan Chief of the Manjura replied, “I will assist in ridding our world of these invaders, but after that, I will return to Central City and leave my father and his servant to this wilderness and will have nothing further to do with him”

“If that is your wish my son” the elderly troll said with sadness, “but if you change your mind I will be here, with Meetal”

“So!” The Clan chief asked Major Bolak, “How do you wish me to fight these invaders, especially that one who looks like me and has the audacity to call himself the Lord High Troll”

“You will be staying here with your father until we send for you” Major Bolak replied, “You are the last clan chief in the convocation still alive, and we will need you to form the new one”
“I would have thought you drow would have taken the chance to seize power for yourselves” The Clan Chief replied

“That is not the way of the drow my son” the elderly troll cut in, “They are never seen to rule others directly, only their own affairs”

“So you expect me to be a vassal puppet” the Clan Chief of the Manjura spat back

“We have to get our worlds back first” Charlene interrupted, “Before you start carving up empires”

Major Bolak turned to Charlene, “Indeed you are right. You came seeking assistance in countering the magic of these other humans”

Charlene nodded and mouthed the word yes.

“Then we need to depart as soon as possible” Major Bolak answered

“And what about our world?” The Clan Chief of the Manjura asked.

Major Bolak smiled, “Our drow have made contact with what the humans call technological trolls who are holding Central City. It seems their war began when these magic using humans attacked their world. Our drow have communicated to them that on this world our magic ability is equal if not superior to those magic using humans, we can either be their ally or their enemy. We made them an offer, we deal with those troublesome humans and they pull out of our world and our affairs”

“And you trust them?” The Clan Chief of the Manjura asked with incredulity

“Not one bit” Major Bolak replied, “We learned a few things when we used to work with the Russians on Earth, if they do not pull out after we have fulfilled our end, they will not be alive to wish they had”

Sarah gulped quietly, drow were either very arrogant or very powerful.

+ + +

Tintagel, Cornwall

The Brigadier General looked out to sea with what Janine thought was a haunted expression, while they waited for a number of pixies to arrive, it took time because they had to appear elsewhere and then walk to this meeting place that was considered the birthplace of King Arthur.

It seemed very symbolic since the legend had it that when England is in danger the fabled King Arthur would rise again.

“We are here” squeaked one of the pixies.

The Brigadier General turned around and faced Drake, Janine and the throng of pixies.

“We know that direct travel to IDW01 is impossible” the Brigadier General began, “But there is another world we know of which allows us to get around the radiation barrier”

“It was my father who had that idea” Janine interjected, before noticing Drake’s icy glare and shutting up.

“The plan” the Brigadier General went on, “Is to travel to that other world and then on to IDW01, where we will try and make contact with the drow and broker some kind of deal even if it does stick in your throat to even suggest that, given their history”
“Drow?” yelled one pixie, “Are you crazy”

“I have worked with them before on the same side” the Brigadier General insisted, “I believe we can do it, besides after the debacle with the Hadreth, they owe us”

“What are we waiting for?” one of the other pixies shouted, “The drow have more honour than those magic wielding humans”

“Thank you, but it would only be fair to warn you that there is a risk with that world” the Brigadier General l replied, “Unlike the sun here on Earth, or your two suns on your own world, the sun on that world is what we call a red giant, and it can blast out radiation that the local fauna have adapted to deal with but lethal to us. We have to aim for a specific cave formation just in case the sun there is active”

“We also do not have the means to get there” Drake interrupted, “We lost the artificial wormhole generator and the orb of dimension jump”

A pixie raised his hand and the Brigadier General invited him to speak

“We know of your devices” the pixie spoke up, “I know where to get one”

“How?” Samuel asked

“They keep one in a vault in that country west of here you call You-knighted-States” the pixie explained

“And that helps us how?” Drake asked
“The people guarding that vault do not know we exist so have not placed any magic bars to it. I can go get it now” the pixie replied

“Oh no you don’t” another pixie said angrily, “There are humans who use magic and are constantly scrying for any that might challenge them. Any teleport activity from here will bring them upon us in an instant, why do you think we instructed you to walk here”.

“Here is another idea” the Brigadier General replied to the lead pixie, “You take Mister Mathews and Miss Sedlacek here to a place of safety, one of you takes me to that vault while the rest scatter. They may come here, but we will all be gone”

“No way” Janine cut in, “You need me, I am one of the few people who know how to operate those devices”
“So do I” the Brigadier General countered
“I know how to get us to Aurelia” Janine insisted
“And so do I” the Brigadier General insisted.

“But this is our country that they have invaded” Drake added
“And this is my mess I have to clear up” the Brigadier General said quietly

“How do you work that one out?” the lead pixie asked

“I was the one who insisted that we roll back time in the alternate timeline” the Brigadier General explained, “There was an angel who warned me that it would have consequences, maybe this incursion or the existence of these two other worlds, equal but opposite to Earth and IDW01, was a consequence of that decision”

“I don’t like sitting on the side lines” Drake insisted

“And there is no sense putting you further at risk” the Brigadier General answered back, “If we get our world back, there is no way we can make people think what happened was a hoax like the time the Venezuelans captured the Clan Chief of the Manjura. The genie is out of the bottle this time, you will be needed”

“I’m afraid I am in agreement with the American gentleman” the lead pixie told Drake and Janine, “He has more experience on our world than you two, and you will be needed should we fail”

Suddenly Tintagel faded away from Janine and she found herself alone in some meadow.

+ + +

Deep inside a lava tube
Inter Dimensional World 02

Major Bolak and another drow called Jaheel exited the swirling blue vortex first, followed by Charlene and Sarah.

They were in the cave system that they had deemed to be a safe haven on this this world, just in case there was any solar activity from the red giant that the planet orbited.

Charlene understood why she was going on this mission, but not Sarah. Sarah had in effect just been a receptionist at a detention cell for IDE’s, she had no experience in the field. At least, if she had one, Charlene could handle a gun. Sarah would just be in the way, but Major Bolak had insisted.

“All clear” Jaheel called out, and then he held out a hand, I sense someone has been here since you came here.

“The magic using humans or the technological Trolls?” Charlene asked

“I sense residual magic” Jaheel replied
“The magic using humans” Major Bolak muttered

Slowly they headed towards the mouth of the cave system, Jaheel telling the group that whoever had been there was still present.

Charlene just wished she had some kind of weapon, relying on two drow to defend them somehow did not seem such a good idea..

Then they were at the cave entrance.

“Don’t go out” Charlene called out “If there is a solar flare still going on then it will be lethal”

“I guess they did not know that” Jaheel replied as he pointed to some figures on the ground.

Charlene peered past Jaheel and then saw them, about six bodies about ten feet from the cave mouth. Some looked like fighters she had seen at the EAD and one looked like a magic user. All were male, and all had been struck by lethal radiation that would have cooked them in seconds.

Quickly Charlene turned around and placed her hands on Sarah’s shoulders to stop her going any further and seeing the gruesome site.

“What is it” Sarah asked
“Trust me Sarah” Charlene replied, “You don’t want to see it”

“Quite” Major Bolak said out loud, “Let’s go back into these caves and open the gate to Earth to see how we can deal with these magic using humans”

“Major” Jaheel immediately called out, “Do you not sense it”

“Sense what?” Charlene asked

“Yes I do” Major Bolak replied to Jaheel, ignoring Charlene

Suddenly another blue dot appeared in the middle of the air and began to grow, but this one was green.
“It could be those technological trolls” Charlene suggested, “They managed to track us to this world and then to the Mystical Realms”

“Fire ball spell?” Jaheel suggested
“An excellent choice, simple, over the top but effective” Major Bolak replied, “But indulge my curiosity, let’s see who our guests are before we incinerate them”

“You two” Major Bolak ordered Sarah and Charlene, “go back deeper into the cave, leave this to us”

Charlene ushered Sarah back into the cave system and into a side tunnel, without any weapons, this was all she could do against whoever was appearing unannounced on Aurelia like this.

Major Bolak and Jaheel stood their ground as the green vortex grew to full size.

“YOU!” Major Bolak exclaimed as he saw the first figure emerge

+ + +

Central City
The Mystical Realms

There was a knock on Padow’s door as he sat working on his computer in what had been assigned to him as his office in this building they called a hall of justice in Central City.

Obviously it was not Strang, as Strang did not bother to knock, he was far too busy trying to execute residents of this backward city just to show how strong he was. It was very short sited of Strang, as it meant they would have to bring in more armed trolls to deal with the locals when those troops were badly needed back on their home world defending it against the human menace.

“YES” Padow shouted with irritation

To his surprise in walked the troll council leader who had sent both him and Strang to this world where trolls did not have technology and had resorted to magic.

“This is indeed an honour” Padow said through gritted teeth, “I did not know you were coming, can I presume that the war against the humans back home is going well?”

“If you mean the research to find the bioweapon” the troll council leader replied, “Our orc scientists report that they have been able to kill one of the human captives from that other human infested world, they are now working on making it more spreadable”

“If I may point out” Padow went on, “The bioweapon was my idea”

“Well that is rather academic now as this morning, on orders of the council it was cancelled” The troll council leader replied

“Are you insane” Padow accused the troll councillor, “That bioweapon is the only way we can fight the human menace as their magic will be useless against it.

“We won’t need it Lord High Troll” the troll council leader retorted, “We have found an ally here on this world that can rid us of the human menace quicker and with less expense”

“How?” Padow protested, “They are a backward lot, they have no technology and they still try and rely on their form of so called magic, how do you think we took this city so easily”

“Because” came another voice, “we allowed it” it added.

Then the person speaking came into the room, it looked like an elf but was of a darker complexion, it was a drow, much like the drow back home.

“Allow me to introduce Marshall Dacron” the troll council leader told Padow, “He has promised the support of the drow on this world to help neutralise the magic of the human menace”

“In return” the drow interrupted, “You get to go home and leave us as your proxy rulers of this fair city”

“Strang put you up to this didn’t he” Padow spat out accusingly.

“Actually it was not your rival for power” the drow cut in, “in fact we are going to tell him next, and I expect a similar reaction from him as well”
“The drow from this world contacted us at the council” the troll council leader replied
“You see when the humans from the technological humans used to come here using their wormhole generators” the drow went on, “We learned how to track such devices. You see that technological world of humans had effectively two power blocks, the Americans and the Russians. The humans that came here were from the first lot, the Americans, formed alliance with the trolls on our world, whilst we drow formed an alliance with the second lot, the Russians. These Russians proved quite competent for non drow at espionage and gave us the details of the artificial devices, which proved so useful”

Padow narrowed his eyes at the troll council leader, he had been so concentrating on Strang’s obvious bid for his position of Lord High Troll, that he never saw the subterfuge of this nobody of a troll council leader. If this troll council leader could be seen to deal with the human menace, then Padow’s position as Lord High Troll would be seen as weak or untenable. Maybe the troll council would force him to resign in favour of Strang, or even this upstart of a troll councillor himself. Padow would need to engineer some way to deal with him like he had done with that other member of the troll councillor who had been a supporter of Strang.

“So” Padow said slowly and deliberately, “What will this cost me?”

“I have no idea what you mean” the troll councillor said in all innocence.

“He means are we asking for his resignation as Lord High Troll” the drow interjected before cutting off the troll council leader from answering, “No, you will still be Lord High Troll, your resemblance to the fugitive Clan Chief of the Manjura troll clan suits our purposes for now, but there will a price for retention of your position”

“Like what?” Padow asked angrily

“We have yet to decide on that” the drow grinned, “But he have come to another little agreement which we will get to”

“What does it matter Lord High Troll” the troll council leader told Padow with indignation, “We will be rid of the humans with their vile magic and we will have a powerful ally who is their equal”

“And what do you get out of it” Padow asked the troll council leader pointedly, “Since you imply you are not after the position of Lord High troll”

“More of a say over how you and your office conducts itself” the council leader retorted, “A larger role for the troll council in governing the rule of the Manjura empire like we had in the old days before you took over from Madron your father”

“My father was weak and indecisive” Padow shouted angrily

“Never the less” the troll council leader interrupted, “He respected the council far more than you have done”
“Maybe we should all return home and have a meeting of the full imperial senate to discuss the drow proposal” Padow growled, “I am sure some will find reliance on outsiders distasteful when I had put into action an already perfectly good plan to tackle the human menace once and for all, which you councillor have decided to put an end to”

“That is as the humans say of course moot” the drow interrupted, “two drow are already on their way to the other human world with two humans from that world, as your magic using human enemies have establish a foothold on that world like they have on yours”

“So the council acts without consulting me” Padow sneered, “Is that not also unconstitutional and against precedent”

“We are informing you now” the drow replied, “There was not much time to consult you and follow the niceties of your tedious constitution, and of course the two drow we selected have experience of human affairs on the non-magic using human world, that they like to call Earth”

Padow could sense something in this drows voice, “There is a but there” Padow growled

“Indeed” the drow replied, “What those two drow do not realise is that for them this is a suicide mission and they are out of favour with some on the Drow high council and thus are considered very expendable”

“You see Lord High Troll” the troll council leader cut in, “There was one other request the drow have asked”
“We do not want to annihilate the humans from Earth like you had planned” the drow went on, “That would be far too wasteful given the resources that world has, our plan is to exploiit them, just like we did once before.”

“You see” the troll councillor went on, “Not many, even on the Drow High council know that Marshall Dacron belongs to a certain order of drow that a few years ago was brought down, thanks to the efforts of the two drow who have gone to Earth, as that world is called”

“I am not familiar with drow orders on this miserable excuse for a troll world” Padow said in an irritated fashion.

“I” the drow said with characteristic arrogance of a drow, “Am of the order of the Hadreth. The capture and subjugation of Earth and the ruling of this world in place of the trolls will be the sweetest revenge for the way our order was treated”

End of Season Twelve

To be continued in the next season
Of “Sagas of the Mystical Realms”

Assuming I get time to write it