The Prisoner

    “Do you mind telling me why I am here?”
    “Not at all.”
    “Well?”
     The man sat in a chair, while the other strode about the domed chamber.
    “You have been brought here because you can no longer be trusted.”
    “What do you mean by that?”
    “Have you had breakfast?”
     At that moment the pair of blast proof doors opened and the Butler pushed a breakfast trolley down the ramp and approached the small table which had risen up through a hole in the floor.
    “I don’t want anything to eat.”
     The Butler proceeded to lay out the breakfast. Eggs, bacon, beans, fried bread, tomatoes and sausage. Tea, toast, and marmalade. He then bowed, and pushed the trolley across the floor, up the ramp and out through the opening doors which then slid closed again.
    “You said I can no longer be trusted.”
    “Did I, well it was you who chucked in your job. People in your position cannot be allowed to do that. If everyone behaved like that where would we be?”
    “I had had enough, more than enough.”
     Number 2 occupied himself by pouring himself a cup of tea. He added milk and sugar and stood there looking at the prisoner and stirred his tea.
    “You observed people.”
    “Yes.”
    “You observed people, then had reports made on them. What work they did, where they lived, what they liked to do, what they wanted to be. What they liked to do, read, listing hobbies. Religion, politics and the like.”
    “And you had them brought here.”
    Number 2 sipped his tea “Not me old boy, but someone very like me.”
    “They were brought here.”
    “To the village yes, and now you are here. What went wrong?”
    “How do you mean?”
    “With you, why did you suddenly resign?”
    “I’ve nothing more to say.”
    “You have plenty to say, and will.”
    {Number 2 picked up a yellow ‘L’ shaped intercom.
    “Hospital........doctor Number Two here, I have a patient for you......no he’s not like Number Six, this man is expendable.”
    “I won’t tell you anything, no matter what you do to me.”
    Number 2 replaced the intercom back on his desk.

    “A brave statement, but it takes a brave man to carry it out. Everyone talks on the third day, it’s just remains to see whether or not you last three days.”

    The pair of steel doors opened and two medics walked into the office, down the ramp. One took hold of Number 45 whist the other pulled up a sleeve and injected something into the patient’s upper arm. Number 45 felt the pain of the needle, the dome’s chamber began to spin, and he collapsed onto the floor.

    In a room in the hospital Number 45 woke to find himself strapped onto an operating table. A figure stood over him, a figure in a white coat.

    “You might not believe this, but this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you.”
    The doctor held a syringe, he pushed the plunger and a clear liquid spurted out of the needle, a needle which was inserted into the patient’s right arm.
    “Now we begin. Why did you resign?”
    “Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pale of water.”
    “What?”
    “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the King’s horses and all the King’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.”
    “What is this?”
    “He’s resisting doctor” said a nurse.
    “Oh the grand of Duke of York he had ten thousand men, he marched them up to the top of the hill and he marched them down again. Now when they were up they were up they were up, and when they were down they were down, but when they were only half way up someone called out.....where the bloody hell are we?”
    “If drugs won’t make him talk then perhaps pain will be a better persuader.”
    The doctor was an expert in pain, torture, and had a fine hand when conducting medical experiments. Number 45’s screams filled the room, his lasts words were............ “I sold out, I sold the village out. They know, and now they are coming.”
    “Who, who is this who is coming?”
    In Number 2’s office the turquoise ‘L’ shaped intercom bleeped.
    “Number Two here.”
    “Supervisor here sir, there are four small craft coming along the estuary from the sea.”
    “Who are they?”
    “Don’t know sir, haven’t been able to establish contact.”
    “Activate the beam.”
    “Yes sir.”
    “Hell fire.”
    The four black craft manned by Special Forces sped across the water of the estuary, their target the village.

    “This is Savoy six to all boats follow me in and deploy from the slipway.”
    Suddenly one of the boats burst into flames, the men their bodies engulfed in flames dived overboard. Ammunition went off detonated by the flames. A second, third, and finally the fourth boat engulfed in flames voices screamed out in the night until all fell silent.
    The beam was de-activated, the Supervisor picked up the yellow ‘L’ shaped intercom.

    “Get me Number Two..........Supervisor here sir, the four targets and been destroyed.”
    “Thank you, I shall expect a full report on my desk first thing in the morning.”
    “Yes sir. Who were they?”
    “People who had no business here, keep a sharp look out, maintain surveillance. Oh and despatch M.S. Polotska to make sure there were no survivors.”
    “Sir don’t you mean......”
    “I know what I mean. Security of the citizens is our primary objective, remember that.”

   “Yes ………sir!”

Be seeing you