“Great! What do you think Frank?”
But Frank was nowhere to be seen.
***
Twenty-Three
Mrs Shearer finished cleaning the kitchen and went to put the kettle on. It had been very quiet at Beltane House now that the tourist season was over. She wondered if the people who’d stayed a few days ago would be back.
“Such a nice couple,” she’d said to her son.
“Where were they fram, ma?”
“Edinburgh, I think they said – though come t’ think of it, they sounded English. Aye, well he certainly did. But they could come from the planet Zog fr’all I care. It’s not where you’ve come fram that counts, it’s where you’re going to.” Hamish nodded. He’d heard his ma say that a hundred times, but he still didn’t understand it. Still, it sounded very wise.
He was quite happy when there were no tourists on the island, but he knew his ma liked to have company. Since she took over the guesthouse at Papay’s Beltane complex, she had had a new lease of life. Something she needed after the death of his dad. Whereas Hamish liked being alone, losing himself in his work on his fishing boat, Liz was a people person – and to deprive her of company was torture.
Beltane house was the centre of Community life on Papay. Apart from the guest house, there was a youth hostel and co–operative shop on the site. Liz enjoyed cooking for visitors, and was famous for her bere bannocks, made from the local grain. The opening of the facilities at Beltane, with the introduction of mains electricity, was a lifesaver for the island. There was still a battle to keep the island’s mini economy afloat – but the seventy or so residents were determined to stay and make a living on Papay.
Liz gazed out of her window looking for visitors – almost willing them across the short stretch of water that separated Papay from its parent Westray.
“It’ll be okay ma, I know it will. We’ve got so much going for us. No–one’s going to take this island from us.” Liz looked up and smiled at her son. He had been good to her, and not gone off to seek work on the mainland, as many of the other youngsters had. The death of his dad had made his mind up about that. Hamish was the man of the house now, and just couldn’t leave his ma alone after his dad had ‘gone home’, as she put it.
“I’ve got to go now – take care ma.”
“Aye, I’ll be fine. Thanks Hamish, I’ll see you at supper.” The door closed, and he was gone, leaving Liz alone with her thoughts and her dreams.
*
Sandi didn’t know what to do next. Whilst she was tied up, she vowed to go straight to the police as soon as she escaped. But now she was free, a pang of guilt held her back. At first, she’d gone along with their strange ideas only because of Kevin. She didn’t really believe any of it herself. She’d been very low when Kevin took her to the pub that day – after her break up with Marti. When they found out about Frank Peters death, she never thought it was anything more than an accident. She really thought she was doing the right thing when she showed his article to Trevor. He’d have to see it eventually. But looking back on it, she thought that was wrong of her. It was Kevin’s article, and she shouldn’t have interfered. It was just that she didn’t want him to get into trouble – or get fired.
Kevin always said she was on a drug called ‘Interferon’. Perhaps that was her motherly instincts. Or perhaps she just liked everything her own way. She really did like Kevin’s friends (Gareth in particular of course), even though they were a bit weird, but she didn’t trust Harry and Jo. She called the Police because she really thought she had to protect Kevin and Gareth from the salt – she really thought the government was right when they banned it. And if Harry and Jo were arrested, so what? She didn’t mean any harm to the others.
But despite that, she felt guilty. She hadn’t been open with any of them – least of all Kevin. So, as long as they left her alone, she wasn’t going to squeal on them again. From now on, whatever happened would be the consequences of their own actions. She wouldn’t even write the article she was planning for the magazine: ‘Salt – another reason to kick the habit: confessions of an addict.’ It they wanted to kill themselves, good luck to them.
Somehow, though, she had to retrieve the handbag she’d left in Kevin’s chalet. It had all her valuable inside, and she must get it back before leaving the island. But how?
*
Frank was an interesting character. Not only had he put the finger on Sandi (which surprised us all), but he’d neatly packed up all her belongings with the intention of putting them in an outhouse with a big sign saying ‘Sandi’. After deceiving us, and actually putting us in danger, I would have thrown all her things into the sea. But then, I’m not Frank.
“Better than her breaking a window,” he said. “And Gareth won’t have to see her this way.”
“Do you really think she’ll come back?” I asked. Frank nodded.
“She left her handbag with all her valuables – money, car keys, credit cards. She’ll be back.”
I took the bag for Frank and put it in an outhouse with the sign on the door.
“I suppose we should tell the others what we’ve done?” Frank agreed. Reactions were very varied. Tony said cautiously, ‘Well, if Frank thinks so…’ Audrey exclaimed, ‘Oh, what a good idea!’ Kate replied, ‘Shall I wait outside for a bit to make sure she sees it?’ And Gareth said (almost crestfallen), ‘Oh, I thought she might come back to our room for her things’.
Harry and Jo had gone back home by this time. They’d invited us all for dinner later – an invitation we couldn’t refuse.
With everything that had gone on, I’d completely forgotten about the Swedish website. It was Kate that reminded me.
“Oh shit, yes! We need to start working on it.”
“Whose name will the site be in Kevin?”
“Frida’s company name. There’s no problem with that – they register hundreds of names in a holding capacity.” I wasn’t one hundred percent sure about this, but it sounded logical. Kate was happy with it anyway. I’d just got my laptop plugged in when Tony arrived. He seemed to have a sixth sense.
“I’ve been thinking about the website – we should get started on it as soon as possible. Probably best if I go over the content with Frank.” We nodded. “Of course, let me know any ideas you have – the more input the better.” Tony left to see Frank, and I turned to Kate with a grin.
“Let’s celebrate!”
“What did you have in mind?” she asked. My eyes moved towards the bed.
“Later Tiger – I’ve got to go and see Audrey.”
***
Twenty-Four
In past ages, repeated efforts had been made by Frank and others from his planet to stop the virus – but every time these had failed. In some incarnations, they had been caught and put to death for their actions – or even merely their views. But their captors, working under the influence of the virus, could only kill their bodies – not their souls. And there were always other body–machines for Frank’s team to occupy. Now things were reaching a head: the virus could not be allowed to leave the Earth alive.
Whilst the virus clung to Man, and Man accepted the virus as good and necessary, there was no hope for the occupants of planet Earth. It was the task of Frank and the others to open Man’s eyes to see the virus for what it was. Only then could he put it from himself. In this sense, the elimination of the virus was simple. But in practice, it was proving impossible.
It wasn’t that Man didn’t recognize that he was vulnerable to viruses and parasites. The Black Death and other plagues, flu epidemics, superbugs and cancer were all known to Man. But he had no lasting cure because he couldn’t see the single cause. Consequently, his attempts to eliminate the virus were doomed to failure.
The 1918 flu epidemic, which killed more people in six months than the war killed in four years, was spread quickly by the virus jumping from one person to the next. Vaccines were useless – as were most other remedies. Many people assumed that the 19
18 flu virus had been cured. But the truth was it had merely moved on to other areas – and other people.
Frank was dubious about the value of the website, but he knew they must give it their best shot. He thought the virus would try to stop the site – probably by influencing Man to create computer viruses that would attack the website, or the server that held it. It wasn’t just the virus they were fighting: they had the majority of mankind against them – humans acting as agents for the alien virus.
Species of animals around the World were rapidly dwindling, and that could sound the death knell for Man. Once the animals had been eliminated from the planet, the virus would only have Man to live off – and with an all out invasion of the virus, he would not last long. Then the virus would migrate to another planet, to destroy another race of beings. Frank could not allow that – would not allow that.
Tony knew what would happen if they failed. He knew that his race would have to initiate the complete destruction of planet Earth – and the virus along with it. But he never knew exactly how they would achieve that. Unlike Frank, Tony and the others had no recollection of their previous lives on Earth or their home planet. He relied on Frank to tell him about his own Universe. And whatever Frank told him, he would believe. Or, at least, he wouldn’t reject. The demonstration in Edinburgh of Frank’s ability to move from one body to another would stay with Tony to the end of his days – and he would never dismiss anything that Frank would tell him.
Frank had said that Tony had exactly the same ability – to move from one body to another. Tony never dared to try it – just in case he couldn’t get back to his own body. But Tony never, ever doubted that he was not of this Earth. His ideas, his thoughts, his very being, were so different to anyone else he had come across – until he met Frank.
However, although Tony held Frank’s words in great esteem, he didn’t always agree with the means of putting those ideas into action. Hence their disagreement about going to London.
Before he went away, Frank had told Tony about a very special substance that was being channeled to Earth from their Universe. It was this substance that held the key to the survival of Man and his planet. How it would be applied and what effect it would have, Tony didn’t know. Frank was always very conservative with this sort of information. He’d hint at something, then later Tony would get a few more details. He’d mull these around for a while, seeing how the idea could be right, how it would work in practice and what the implications were. Then, when he’d made some effort towards understanding, Frank would come along and tell him clearly how it all worked – really spell it out for him. And then he’d understand it clearly.
At one time Tony wondered if the whole thing was made up: the alien virus, other Universes, other lifetimes. But then he thought: what other explanation is there? In the end, he’d only know when he died what was beyond the grave: another incarnation on Earth, life on his home planet or total oblivion. If there was nothing else to life, it wouldn’t matter if he acted as if he did originate from another Universe; as though there was a virus affecting mankind, and as if this Earth would be annihilated if he couldn’t help to stop it. So in the end, he decided that was the best way to be, and he hadn’t looked back since.
*
Early the next morning, there was a knock on our chalet door. It was Frank.
“We’ve got to leave as soon as possible: you’ve got half-an-hour to pack – okay?” I nodded, suddenly very awake.
“I’ll tell Kate.”
Kate asked why we had to leave so quickly. I told her I’d no idea; but if Frank said we needed to leave, then we’d better go. I realized later that I was starting to sound like Tony. Before we left, Kate insisted on checking the outside shed to see if Sandi had been back for her things. Kate returned with a smile on her face. I looked at her questioningly, and she said “All gone.”
Within thirty minutes we were on the road. Tony had telephoned Harry and Jo, and they said they’d meet us at the ferry. It was thirteen miles from the chalets to the pier, and we got there in just under twenty minutes. Harry and Jo were already in the queue. As the ferry boat docked, I noticed two police cars on the boat. I tapped Tony shoulder and pointed. He nodded. Frank said,
“It’ll be fine – just keep your eyes straight ahead.” The vehicles rolled off the boat, and the police cars sped past us, obviously more concerned about getting to their destination than looking at the queue of vehicles waiting to board. On board the vessel we took a quick look around to see who else was there, then locked the car and headed upstairs. I wondered if Sandi had contacted the Police about us.
“I don’t think so,” replied Frank as we made our way towards the coffee lounge. “It’s more likely they were going back to follow up on their visit to Harry and Jo’s place.” Frank was about to open the door to the lounge, but I stopped him.
“How did you know they were on their way?” I asked. Frank looked away for a moment, then straight back at me.
“Let’s just call it intuition.” He opened the door and we were greeted by Harry and Jo.
“Have you lot got some sort of contact with a higher power?” Harry asked Frank, partly in jest. “I’m sure the cops were on their way back to our place.” Jo nodded in agreement.
“We’re going to need all the help we can get – so everyone needs to get in contact with their own ‘higher power’,” Frank replied, removing his coat. Kate, Audrey and Gareth entered and greeted Harry and Jo.
“Lovely meal last night Jo, thanks.” Kate said.
“It was nice to have your company,” Jo replied. “Frank was a bit mysterious on the phone this morning – he didn’t say where we were going, just to pack a bag for a week or so.”
Audrey nodded. “It’s safer that way. Frank will tell us more about it in Kirkwall.
The boat from Eday went directly to Kirkwall that morning with no other stops. The plan was to take the afternoon boat from Kirkwall to Papa Westray. The trip was calm, with the sea water like a millpond. I stood on the deck with Kate, drinking in the panoramic vista, and the smells and sounds of the sea.
“I think I’ve travelled more in the last week than I ever did as a journalist in London,” I said.
“Regrets?” asked Kate.
I shook my head. “No way... this is an adventure of a lifetime.”
“You seem to have accepted Frank.” Kate was right – I had. But when I thought about it, it seemed crazy. It wasn’t ‘logical’, and it wasn’t the sort of thing you could explain to anyone else.
“What about you?” I asked. She looked out to sea, considering the question. “Suppose he’s not Frank,” I continued, “what difference would it make?” This was a question I honestly could not answer myself.
“In one way, none. If we believe the things Frank taught us, they still remain true. And Steve is only saying the same things Frank said. But if he’s not Frank – why pretend? What’s he hiding from us? Are we safe with him? We’ve all adopted him as our leader – but we don’t know where he’s leading us.” I understood her line of thinking.
“I know what you mean – but he did pass the test. He can’t be motivated by the infection.”
“Unless the virus has mutated and is now undetectable by our tests,” Kate added. That was a frightening thought. It meant that anyone of us could be infected, and we’d never know. Just as we were contemplating this, Gareth arrived on deck.
“I heard Sandi came back,” he said. I nodded. “Did you see her?” Kate shook her head.
“No we didn’t Gareth – but to be honest, I think we’re better just forgetting about her now. I know you were close, but we’ve got to move on – I’m sorry.”
“Oh, that’s all right, no worries. I seemed to be jinxed at the moment.” He hung his head over the railing, staring down at the foam below as the ship cut through the water. Kate put an arm around him.
“I really think Sandi is a good person Gareth – but she’s not one of us. I don’t think she’s dange
rous – she’s just infected by the virus.”
“Doesn’t that make her dangerous?” I asked.
“There’s different degrees of infection – it’s not black or white. Sandi is probably a marginal case, her own cells battling with the virus. Sometimes they get the upper hand, other times the virus has control. She’ll probably do or say things, then wonder why the hell she did them. Didn’t you say she was lactose intolerant Kevin?”
“Yeah, she told me she was allergic to dairy when she was a child – her mother used to give her soya milk.”
“Well, that will have saved her from the full infection. We don’t have to worry about Sandi, she’ll be taken care of.” They seemed wise words, but I don’t think either Gareth or I knew exactly who was going to take care of her. I know Gareth wanted it to be him.
***
Twenty-Five
After arriving in Kirkwall, five of us headed for the Bothy Bar for a drink and something to eat. Harry and Jo had some business to attend to first, so they said they’d meet us there. Home–made fish and chips was on the menu, and we all settled for that – with glasses of the local ale. As we sat with our drinks, waiting for our food, we watched the midday news on one of the television screens in the bar.
‘It was confirmed today that a new and extremely virulent strain of avian flu has reached Britain. The Home Secretary has ordered supplies of a vaccine thought capable of providing protection against the virus, and the government is considering measures to implement compulsory inoculation of all UK citizens. Here’s our medical correspondent, James Harvey…
‘This new strain is worrying health officials in the government. They’re concerned that the Asian virus, known as AV021, could signal an epidemic more deadly and widespread than the flu outbreak of 1918, and the Prime Minister is urging his party to back the proposed legislation. If it goes through, vaccinations could start as early as next week…’
We all looked at each other. Then Frank spoke,
“It’s all right – it was predictable.”
“But doesn’t vaccination mean injection of the virus?” I asked. Frank nodded.