It was morning, bright and sunny.
Edmund and Vesna were having breakfast. He said, “My friend with the bunker just called, he says his solicitor has done as required, and the contract has been sent to my solicitor. As soon as I hear from him, we should be able to finalise everything. I mentioned that my client wanted to go and have a look around and make some plans for what she wants to do with it. Could we go today?
Vesna paused, then replied, “Yes, Aurora and Eostre are keen to go as soon as possible, for a physical look round. They say today would be great. Would you want to come? I think it would be good to have you there from a business point of view, and I would like it if you would?”
Edmund said, “I was thinking, would you all like to go by car? Mine is sitting in the garage; it is good for it to be driven, and I have not been doing that since the heart attack and your arrival.”
Vesna paused again, then laughed, “Aurora says yes, she will enjoy it, Eostre is panicking, she thinks cars are mad, inflammable liquids, internal combustion engines, smoke, flames, crashes. I think she would feel happier if we retrofitted a fusion drive before we go, but I have explained that is not going to happen. She says yes, though.”
Vesna and Edmund cleared away the breakfast things. Aurora called out from the conservatory, hi you two!”
They gathered in the conservatory, Eostre shimmered onto the sofa. “Hello Edmund, I was wondering, could I travel with you, please? I want to experience how cars are driven. It sounds interesting.”
Edmund said, “You mean in my head? Yes, that will be ok, so long as you promise no heckling, not a word while I am driving, please, concentration is important.”
She nodded, there was a shimmer, and she vanished.
“There, that’s better. I can see your body is working well at present; your blood pressure is a little higher than ideal, but the fix on your heart has worked very well. You are drinking too much coffee.”
“I know. No heckling.”
“OK.”
Edmund led them out to the garage, waited while the electric door rolled up, and they climbed in. Vesna took the front seat, and Aurora sat in the back.
“Your car is very old. Are you sure it is safe?”
“It is an Audi A3, it has done very low mileage. It has been very carefully maintained since new. It has a two-litre engine, it is quick enough, it is comfortable, reliable and safe, and I like it very much. I thought about changing it; the newer versions are very nice, but I like this one. You may walk if you prefer.”
“Oh. That is all right then.”
The morning rush was over, and the roads were fairly quiet, but there were still a large number of lorries travelling in both directions to and from the port. Eostre did spot a few things which were worthy of comment,
“Look, sheep.”
“I’m driving, shut up.”
“Sorry.”
But otherwise a pleasant drive on a main road through the countryside. They had just turned north onto the A12, and Edmund said, “By the way, we are passing by Woodbridge, it is a lovely town, with quite a lot of history.”
Aurora replied, “Yes, the Bretwalda, King of Kings, Raedwald had his capital near there, and Woodbridge was a busy port until not that long ago.”
Edmund said, “Impressive, you know your history. Did you know that they are building a replica of the ship he was buried in, in Woodbridge?”
Aurora leant forwards, “I didn’t, I would like very much to see that. Could we stop and have a look at it, please?”
Edmund replied, “Fine with me, it is quite impressive, being built with traditional tools. A part of the project is to work out precisely how the ship was constructed, how the craftsmen would have worked and how they would have used the tools of the time. We have plenty of time, we just need to be sure we are back in time to meet for our dinner party with Peter Blyth, Ella and Duncan and serve them dinner.”
Vesna said, “Yes, no problem, I have arranged to text Ella when we get back, and she will come round to the house.”
Edmund turned off the main road onto the side road leading into Woodbridge town centre.
Aurora leant forward, “I think we have a tail.”
Edmund replied, “Black Range Rover, local plate, AY74 XVO?”
Aurora, surprised, “Yes, you noticed him?”
Edmund laughed, “Years of driving round Communist countries on business trips. Sometimes even the tails had tails.”
As they came into the town, Edmund indicated right and slowed. Vesna looked puzzled, “The sign says straight ahead for the car park?”
Edmund replied, “I hate paying for parking; it is paying for doing nothing. If I get lucky, I get to park for free, and our tail will get a bit of a puzzle.”
They drove down a narrow lane, hemmed in by old cottages, then it opened out, with playing fields and tennis courts on the right-hand side. There were cars parked on the right, there was a gap, Edmund pulled up to it, reversed neatly into the space, and a black Range Rover went past them and continued into the Pay and Display car park beyond. “OK, let’s go,” said Edmund.
They got out, Edmund locked the car and led them down the lane to a gated level crossing.
“There is a phone. Do we need to phone? There is a fine for trespassing? What counts as trespassing? We are going to walk on the railway line. What if a train comes? How fast are the trains here?”
“Safe, don’t worry. Green light.”
Edmund pulled the gate open and walked through, holding it open for Vesna and Aurora. He watched discreetly as a smartly dressed young man, slightly flustered, ran from the car park, stopped abruptly, pulled out his phone, and talked into it, looking everywhere but at them.
They crossed the line and left the track through the gate on the opposite side. A few yards along, they came to rear of a boatyard, there was a line of wooden boats in the yard, shabby, waiting for restoration, many would undoubtedly look fabulous once finished, there was also a line of boats for sale by the track they were on, old timber boats, smaller, yachts, a lovely one with a cabin, others with none, all in need of care and attention. Vesna and Aurora stopped to look at them. Edmund noticed their tail stepping back from the crossing – another phone call, apparently. Aurora looked at him. She smirked, “Good choice of parking spot, Edmund.”
They moved on, rounding the corner. They were on the riverbank, the boatyard was open at the front, and they could see inside, where a beautiful, new punt was being crafted, nearly finished, its side being carefully sanded, with a sign beside it, Cambridge Punt #3. Aurora looked at it and sighed, “Ah, punting on the Cam, what a wonderful time.”
Edmund said, “Yes, I did it a few times when I was at university in Cambridge, a long time ago, now.” But there was something about Aurora’s remark that puzzled him; he asked, “How long since you went punting, Aurora?”
Her eyes flicked sharply round to look at him, “It will be a wonderful time when I go.”
Edmund nodded and smiled at her.”Shall we move on? Quite a way to go along the riverbank. Nice and open, no cover for our friend.” He looked in the direction they were headed and pointed, “That is the tide mill, and over there, the other side of the river, is Sutton Hoo. We are about a furlong from the main quay, where all the houseboats are. I have always thought we ought to switch to furlongs, much less confusing than flipping between miles and kilometres, five furlongs to a kilometre, eight kilometres to a mile.”
Aurora laughed, “Why not switch to parsecs? One kilometre equals 0.000000 parsecs, and one mile equals 0.000000 parsecs. Problem solved.”
Edmund laughed too, “Yes, another very elegant solution.”
They arrived at the quay, having studiously avoided looking too obviously at their tail, who had no option but to walk alone, out in the open, reeds to one side and the river to the other. The first section of the quay was crammed with houseboats. Edmund had to put up with a headful of excited comments from Eostre, who was reading the names and numbers off the old boats, looking them up in maritime registries and the like and supplying him with the details of their history.
He was glad when they arrived at the Long Shed, home of the replica burial ship; the noise inside his head calmed into a detailed dissertation on the replica and the history of ships from that period. He guessed that when they came back out, they would spot their tail at a table outside the cafe just next door, probably reading a book, or a newspaper, or texting on his phone with a half cup of tea or coffee, stone cold in front of him.
Inside the shed, the 90 ft long ship stretched nearly the whole length of the building. A team of people were busy working away with period replica or similar tools, hammering, sawing, sanding, shaping and fitting timbers, everything secured with 7th-century replica rivets and nails. The ship stood raised off the ground, and they walked along the elegant curve between the high prow and stern, the clinkered oak planking studded with black iron rivets.
Aurora said, “Basil Brown, the archaeologist who uncovered the ship, was meticulous in that the placements of the rivets were all recorded, and they have used his records to help them build this. Back in a moment.”
She went off to chat with one of the shipbuilders. Vesna was leaning forward and sniffing, “I love the smell of the oak. And it is fascinating watching it all being put together.”
Vesna and Edmund went up the stairs, where there was a viewing gallery, where you could look down into the body of the ship and see some information displays. Eventually, Aurora rejoined them, and they chatted some more. Then Edmund said, “If we have seen enough, let’s have a drink in the cafe next door, and we can take a quick look at the tide mill on the way back to the car.
At the cafe, their tail was sitting at a far table, engrossed in a magazine.
They ordered, carefully avoiding looking too much in his direction, then Aurora held out her hand to Edmund, palm open. A ladybird was sitting in the middle of it. Edmund looked at it, “I love ladybirds, I think everyone does. Are you going to let it go?”
Aurora’s eyes twinkled, “Edmund, this is no more a ladybird than Shuck is a dog. Yes, I am going to let him go; he will fly around a bit, then he will land on our friend’s shoulder and hide under the collar of his smart jacket. He is a tracker and the prettiest spy ever.”
Edmund laughed. “How very elegant you are.”
Aurora simpered at him, “Why, thank you, kind sir.”
They finished their drinks, left the cafe and walked the few yards to the tide mill, which stands at the end of the quay area, with the old tidal mill pool behind it upriver, and nowadays mostly given over to a marina. They went in and explored the three floors of the mill. Vesna stroked one of the huge timber gear wheels, “This is so beautiful, it is an extraordinary place, I am so glad we came to see it, the time it must have taken people working with the kind of hand tools we have just seen them using over on the ship. And it has been beautifully restored, too, but I am guessing, they may have cheated and used some power tools for that.”
Aurora laughed, “I expect so, but what gets to me about this is the elegance of the technology, Edmund. You were awed by our Dyson Array, but this awes me, simple and clever; it is a machine for converting grain into flour. But just as our array is solar powered, this is powered by the moon moving the sea!
They didn’t linger long; they still had to drive further to get to the bunker, and had spent longer than intended exploring the ship, they completed a circuit back to the car, passing the railway station entrance and then through the car park to the lane where Edmund had parked. Edmund pulled out of his space and then drove through the car park to the other exit at the Station end. The Range Rover followed them at a distance. Edmund picked his moment to pull out into the traffic, taking advantage of a small gap in the flow of traffic. He wanted to put a gap between them and their tail. Out of the car park, then immediately left and up the hill into the narrow mediæval streets of the town centre. “Aurora, is it possible for you to check the car for any tracking devices, please?”
She replied, “Done, it is still there for the moment. We could send it on a sightseeing trip with a scout?”
Edmund smiled, “Lowestoft, straight up the A12, I think that would be perfect.”
They reached the Market Square at the top end of the town, travelling as if heading for the A12, but after leaving the square with a sharp left, Edmund immediately took a sharp right down into a steep, narrow lane. As he turned, he said, “Send the tracker on its trip now, please.”
The scout headed out of town to the A12 with the tracker. He kept up a fast pace and shot off at speed along the occasional sections of dual carriageway. In Lowestoft, the tracker was dropped in a rubbish bin at the end of the pier, from which their tired and frustrated tail retrieved it in due course.
In the meantime, the Audi had long since arrived at the little track down to the old vehicle repair shop. “This needs some work, ” said Edmund, listening to the weeds on the road brushing the underside of the car.
The gates to the yard were unlocked. Vesna leapt out and dragged one half of the pair open; Edmund drove through onto the forecourt, he and Aurora climbed out, and they all walked up to the front of the building. There was a pair of large vehicle entrance doors, and to the side of them, a small door. Vesna tried the handle, pushed, and the door creaked open. They walked in and found themselves in the office area. There was a counter with an abandoned chair rusting behind it. An inner door led them into the main workshop area, Aurora said, “Actually, I know this building looks rusty and run down from the outside, but I think it is pretty good shape – mostly cosmetic work. You two, go and stand under the vehicle lift.” They did as she asked, and she reached into an alcove in the corner of the room and pulled the lever hidden in it. She walked over and joined the others under the lift.
The floor beneath them sloped gently and silently downwards, slowing to a creep for the last inch or two. Aurora said, “Whoever built this was some craftsman. This has probably not moved in decades, but it works like it was finished yesterday.”
As soon as the ramp reached the bottom, a low hum started from somewhere in the depths of the bunker, and red lights embedded at low level in the walls came on. “We have activated something,” Edmund said, “Red, so as not to interfere with night vision, I assume.”
They walked off the ramp. Aurora went to another lever, matching the one in the workshop above and moved it from “open” to “closed”. A large weight slid along a bar near the ceiling.”Clever, the whole thing works beautifully without any external power, almost effortlessly. I think I will lock it down, just in case.” She rocked the handle backwards into the locked position. There was a click as a piece of metal moved into a slot on the bar, jamming it securely.
They went through the armoured door, along the passageway and then through the second door into the room stacked with pallets. Edmund looked at the pallets, “That pile on the left is stacked with British army rations, they were called Compo, not very tasty, but nutritious and with a fifty-year shelf life. This all has the feel of something from the Cold War, not World War 2. Let’s have a look round and come back to these later.”
Eostre shimmered out to stand on the floor beside him. “Yes, this is very strange, though. I have looked up the kind of thing they built for post-war survival, the bunkers, and the regional centres. This, I think, is something different.”
They walked up to the next door. On either side was a lock. “Edmund looked at them, Chubb High Security locks. Both have to be operated at the same time, two keys. Aurora walked to the right-hand one, “Vesna, can you deal with the other, please?”
They placed their hands on the locks, “Now.”
There was a clicking of tumblers in the locks. Aurora reached for the heavy handle on the door, turned it, and the door opened.
Eostre said, “Let’s leave this open. I think the Faraday cage may be, um, uncomfortable, and we can check that out later too.”
They noticed a low hum and then some clicks from ahead. Aurora said, “It sounds like the place is coming back to life.”
The next area was a foyer; more doors led off. The first room they went into was stacked with computer equipment. Edmund said, “That is a DEC VAX-11/780 mainframe; it is powering up. That is from the era of Ronald Reagan’s SDI, the Star Wars programme, to create a protective shield over the USA. Let’s move on, give it time to finish its boot. It will take some time for all this to get its act together.” He waved his hand at the rest of the room, massive hard drives, printers and more, waiting their turn to come back to life.
The next section was an accommodation block, mess rooms, furnished with sofas, kitchens, dormitories with military bunk beds, and washrooms. The last room they came to was half-painted, a stepladder leaned against the wall, beside it a large open can of paint, a loose lid on top, and a brush.
Edmund looked at it and frowned, “Someone pulled the plug. Whatever they were doing here, someone in an office somewhere sent out an order to shut down, immediately. Let’s move on, we won’t find the answers here.”
Aurora looked at him, “I have my own thoughts, what do you think the questions are to which we need answers?”
Edmund said, “That is the eternal set, isn’t it? Who, What, Why, Where, When and How.”
She nodded, “The ‘when’, that we have a handle on, at least a time frame, 1980s?”
Edmund replied, “If I were going to guess a date, I would go for 9th November 1989 or just after.”
Aurora said, “Yes, the fall of the Berlin Wall, everything changed very fast after that.”
Aurora said, ” Maybe we will find the answers in the other rooms off where the pallets were stored.
Vesna was looking around the desks in the computer room, “We are getting tight for time, we have guests coming tonight. I will catch you up. You go and explore down there; I think it is worth me seeing if I can find anything else interesting here. They left all sorts of stuff, just dropped everything, by the look of it.”
The others tracked back to the unloading area. On the opposite side to where the pallets stood was a double door, which once again opened smoothly. Behind was a lobby and a large goods lift cage, with an old-fashioned, collapsible gate at the front. There was also a spiral staircase to the right of it. Aurora leant over the handrail and looked down. “Edmund, I don’t think you are going to believe this. Come and look.”
Edmund leant over the rail beside her. “This is like the staircases you see in tower blocks, ten, maybe more floors deep. Incredible! Whatever were they up to? Do we trust the lift after all these years? I certainly don’t fancy walking down there and back up again.”
Aurora nodded, “Everything else has worked fine, let’s take the lift.”
They stepped in and pulled the gate shut behind them. Aurora turned to the panel. It was marked from top to bottom: L1; L2; L3; L4. ” L4, this girl is for going all the way.” She pushed the button. Smooth as silk, no jerking, the lift glided downwards, the spiral staircase winding dizzyingly in front of them. Then the lift slowed and once again smoothly stopped.
They stepped out into a massive, vaulted chamber. At the far end was a black circle, the entrance to a tunnel which sloped upwards at 45 degrees. Almost big enough for Edmund to walk up without bowing his head. In front of the hole was a large pit, with heavy steel rails secured into the concrete. On the sides of the pit, steel brackets were sunk into the concrete. A frame, supports, mountings, but for what?
Aurora walked up to it. She paused, peering up the shaft. Then she walked round the pit and examined the fixings. Then she looked at Edmund, “Any idea?”
He shook his head, “No, not really”
“Me neither.” She replied.
The lift started back up behind them, “I hope that’s Vesna coming down, I really don’t fancy that walk up.”
They looked around some more. There was a space to the side which looked as if it was going to be a control station, data and power cables coiled around it. A big old-style monitor sat on the top, waiting in vain. Then the lift started back up. Vesna’s voice reverberated down the staircase shaft. “Where are you?”
Aurora shouted back, “L4.”
They waited for the lift. Vesna climbed out and walked up to them. “So, have you figured it all out yet?” Her face was decorated with a slightly smug smile.
They shook their heads. Aurora said, “Not a clue! This is just weird. OK, tell!”
Vesna opened the cover and read out, “Tizona Project.” She flipped the page and pointed her finger at a paragraph halfway down. “Rail Gun.”
Edmund said, “Tizona, one of El Cid’s swords. What on earth were they planning to do with this thing?”
Vesna tapped the folder. “I think this needs study. I scanned through and think it will tell us or lead us to all the details of what they were doing here. If Eostre would like to poke around the darker corners of the internet, we may be able to pick up some hints as to why and how it was intended to be used. But we have a dinner planned, and we are thirty-five minutes’ drive from the lamb joint.”
Aurora looked around thoughtfully, “I think I will stay here and catch up with you later. I will look around the rest of this level and the others and have a look at the other pallets, see what secrets they hold. I think we already know that what we are buying is ideal for our purposes and more, and if we decide to build the rail gun, we can fire Vesna out of it in her party dress, just like they do at the circus. Could I keep your folder, please, Vesna, and can you lock the ramp and outer door, please? I will go straight to the fold from here.”