The
man lying on the couch opened his eyes, and sat there looking about the room. Standing up he opened the
blinds and looked out of the window at what he expected to be the house across
the street. But instead the view was one more picturesque than that of the
house opposite. He spun round, he was in the lounge of his London London
“I know him” the bald-headed man said staring
at the wall screen.
No.2 glanced at the Supervisor “I should
think you do, he’s been here before.”
“Why has he been brought back, is he on
assignment?”
“No” No.2 said pressing a button on the
control panel of his desk “He’s resigned his job!”
“He resigned…….things haven’t gone
according to plan then?”
The camera changed and panning tracked the
Prisoner across the lawn, through the Piazza to the café.
“We’ll be open on a minute, do you want
breakfast?” the waiter asked.
“How
very perceptive of you.”
“Why, what went wrong?” the Supervisor
asked.
On the wall screen the Prisoner and the
waiter were seen to be engaged in conversation.
“We don’t know that’s why he’s been brought
back here to discover the reason behind his resignation.”
“If he’s been here before, why is he so
confused?”
“Surprise I suppose, perhaps he never
expected to find himself back here again!”
“You had best get back to your control
room.”
“Won’t that make your task more difficult?”
“How do you mean?”
“Well he’ll have no idea which side runs
the village, he’ll think he’s been brought back here to have information
extracted, not that he’s supposed to simply tell you why he resigned!”
No.2 pulled a face “Let me worry about
that, just get back to your control room, and let me know the moment he decides
to try and escape.”
The black spherical chair turned and No.2
looked at the man standing in front of his desk “Do you remember your first day
here?”
The memory was still painful even after so
many years.
“It wasn’t what you thought it was going to
be was it?”
“No Number 2.”
“You were a mediocre Civil Servant back in
those days, but you soon grew into the part.”
The steel doors closed, the man stood at the
top of the ramp.
“Ah good, there you are. Would you like tea
or coffee?” offered No.2.
The man walked slowly down the ramp and
across the floor. Standing at the grey curved desk he looked at the man sat in
the black spherical chair.
“Neither!”
“I realize how you must be feeling.”
“No you don’t.”
“Believe me I do, because there was a time
when I stood in your shoes.”
The man changed his mind, and poured
himself a cup of coffee, adding just two lumps of sugar.
“Tell me now, why did you resign?”
“Why should I tell you, why should I tell
you anything?” the man asked stirring his coffee.
“No reason, no reason at all, only if you
tell me now it will go much easier for you.”
“I’m over whelmed by your kindness.”
“People like you are brought here because
they have a certain kind of knowledge inside their heads, knowledge that is to
be either extracted, or protected.”
The man sipped his coffee “Which category
do I fall under?
“You have been here before.”
“Yes, it wasn’t a nice experience as I
recall.”
“That’s why you said you would work for us,
rather than spend the rest of your life here, in the village.”
“I would have agreed to anything just to
get out of here.”
“And yet here you are” No.2 said menacingly
“your mistake was to resign your job.”
“Well if one can’t chuck up a job things
have come to a pretty pass” the man said finishing his coffee.
“Your only value to us was for you to
remain in your position. From there to gather information, and stand in
readiness should we call upon your services in other capacities” No.2
instructed.
“I took against my new masters.”
“Is that why you resigned?”
“If you like” the man said placing his cup
and saucer on the desk.
“Now you are here, here you will stay. We
have no need for a rogue agent.”
“You don’t think I can escape?”
“Ask Number 8, she can at least tell you
what not to try” No.2 informed him “Good day Number 5.”
No.5 turned his back and walked across the
floor, up the ramp and through the opening steel door. In the way out he passed
a tall fair-haired man entering No.2’s office. They glanced at each other but
that was all.
“Is that him?” No.14 asked approaching the
desk.
“Yes. I want you to keep an eye on him.”
“I’m surprised they had him sent back here.
You realize he could have turned.”
“Gone over you mean to the other side.”
“Resigned and planted here in the village!”
“A double agent you mean.”
“It’s an idea” No.14 said happy with his
suggestion.
“Then what does he do?” 2 asked.
“What?”
“Then what does he do?”
“He reports back.”
“How?”
14 thought for a moment then said “That’s
his problem!”
“It’s true that the village has been the
object of another department’s desire. They have at least once attempted to
have it shut down, simply because they couldn’t get their hands on it.”
“Perhaps this plant will attempt to bring
the village down from within.”
“Well he’s told me why he resigned, and
that’s all we really wanted to know. So if he were to suffer a fatal accident,
there’s no-one here will ask any embarrassing questions.”
At that moment the red ‘L’ shaped intercom
began to bleep. No.2 did not hesitate to pick it up “Number 2 here………yes
sir……..I understand sir…….of course sir. That was a stupid idea!” No.2 said
putting the intercom back on the desk.
“I don’t think you should say things like
that sir” 14 said “you never know who might be listening!”
No.2 looked at the intercom then at No.14
“Yours is the stupid idea 14, nothing is to happen to Number 5. If anything
happens to him our masters will get to hear about it and we’ll both be for the
high jump!”
No.5 wasn’t a plant, double agent or
anything like that. Nor did he have the wit or the ability to escape. Instead
he spent the rest of his life in the village. Prior to his having been brought
to the village, he had been a Civil servant who was duty bound to serve without
bias no matter which party was in office at the time. It was after a recent
General Election that a question was asked in the House of Commons about an
installation called the village. His new masters wanted to know all about the
village, and it was through his resignation, No.5 had avoided any embarrassing
questions.
Be seeing you
No comments:
Post a Comment