The
new arrival wakes up in what he thinks is his London Bell Bell Tower
In the Control Room a bald-headed man
wearing spectacles, dressed in a dark green polo necked sweater and single
breasted plain blazer stands watching the action playing out on a large wall
screen
“The only thing I really don’t understand……”
said the Supervisor-No.28
There was a satisfying smile on No.2’s face
as he too stood watching the same action on the screen “What’s that?”
“Are we messing about with the live feed
now?”
“What do you mean?”
The Supervisor looked No.2 squarely in the
eyes and said “I mean are we watching corrective surveillance footage, because
where did the man go? The Prisoner saw the man leaning out at the top of the Bell Tower Bell Tower
“As I walked up the stair I met a man who
wasn’t there, he wasn’t there again today oh how I wish he would go away” was
all No.2 said.
“Meaning?”
“Perhaps he wasn’t there at all!”
“I suppose you are getting some sadistic
pleasure from this. Oh I see that’s the point of the stone statue, it was the
statue the Prisoner was supposed to have seen. Pity it wasn’t leaning out of
the window. The men who took all afternoon yesterday manhandling that statue to
the top of the Bell Tower
“Have the men bring the statue down from
the Bell Tower
“The things we do here never fail to amaze
me.”
“Oh there’ll be a great many things we do
here that will astound you, now that he’s here” No.2 said still with a smile on
his face.
“You’re enjoying this.”
“Can you blame me? Today’s the last day of
my term in office, I think I’ll invite our friend over for a working breakfast.
Then treat him to an aerial tour of the village, and a demonstration of what
happens if he steps out of line.”
“Do you think he’ll pass the aptitude
test?”
“Oh he’ll be shaped to fit given time. Just
make sure the maid is in his cottage when he returns there after leaving the
Labour Exchange.”
On the wall screen the Prisoner is in the
General Store trying to buy a map of the area but neither map is to his liking,
well there’s no call for maps covering a larger area!
“The maid, she’s already there!”
“Where?”
“In 6 Private.”
“Get her out of there straight away, I
don’t want him seeing the maid yet, It’s much too soon!”
On the wall screen the Prisoner had just
left the General Store. From the road he noticed a maid on the small balcony
shaking a yellow duster. He rushed round to the door of his cottage. In the
Control Room the Supervisor picked up the yellow ‘L’ shaped intercom. Inside
the cottage the telephone began to bleep, the maid picked up the receiver, then
put it down and dashed out of the cottage door as quick as she could, and away
down the steps.
“That was close” said the Supervisor.
“Too close, that very nearly messed up the
whole thing!” said No.2.
“Why, I don’t understand” said the
Supervisor.
“That’s why I’m where I am and you’re in
this Control Room. Just in case I cannot get our friend here to talk, then the
maid No.66 is my plan b, perhaps she will be able to get him to part with the
information we require.”
“How?”
“By employing her feminine wiles of course!”
The Prisoner was still wondering how the
maid had managed to avoid him when he noticed the Peg Wooden doll holding a
little white card “Welcome to your home from home,” and then the telephone
began to bleep. It was the operator asking him if he’s No.6, as she has a call
for him.
“Good morning to you, I hope you slept
well, come a join me for breakfast, Number 2 the Green Dome.”
In the Control Room the Supervisor made
preparations for the forthcoming demonstration of the Guardian, for which a
young man had been selected as the unwitting victim. And the maid No.66 was
briefed in readiness for her possible assignment to No.6. Well it pays to be
ready, just in case.
Be seeing you
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