Chapter 2
Al Spider Is On The Move.
Pearl Baker-Moth being the Queen of the insects along the stream had taken it upon her self to provide protection and security for the community to the best of her ability.
Some years ago Pearl had set up a secret and elite organisation called the K.G.B. The aim of the organisation was to know about things before they got out of hand and became a threat to the residents of her Queendom. K.G.B. was a convenient acronym for Knowledge Gained Beforehand.
To operate effectively the K.G.B. had to be totally secret, in fact none of the insects along the stream (including Louie the bee) knew of its existence. For effective operation, this was the way it needed to be.
The main threat to the area was of course Al Spider and the Valley Barn Gang. Not even Al Spider knew of the existence of the K.G.B..
When Pearl Baker-Moth originally set up the K.G.B., the requirements were for a team of tough, emotionally detached insects that were fast on land and in the air. It was essential for this elite squad to have perfect eyesight and hearing (that is didn’t wear glasses, contact lenses or have hearing aids). They were to have no friends or associates in the insect community along the stream. The K.G.B. was set up as a discrete undercover operation.
To set up such an organisation, Pearl needed several locations away from the stream as operational centres so that the K.G.B. could be run with military precision along with a military style administration.
As luck would have it, along the road to the village, which ran parallel to the stream, the village telecommunications company had installed fibre optic cabinets for the supply of telephone services to the likes of Mr McFarland.
There were four of these cabinets, all within view of Pearl Baker-Moth’s street lamp apartment, two to the north and two to the south. These cabinets were dry and warm and made the ideal place to set up K.G.B. operational centres.
At each of the four cabinet locations Pearl Baker-Moth had commissioned a beetle who remained onsite at all times for administration and reporting functions. For security reasons the beetle administrators were known simply as B1, B2, B3 and B4. Pearl was simply referred to as ‘Mam’. The beetles were, in the scheme of this sophisticated operation, Pearl’s ‘Cabinet Ministers’.
Under instruction from Pearl Baker-Moth, B1, B2, B3 and B4 had employed the elite force of insects we talked about before.
At each cabinet, reporting directly to each Cabinet Minister was a team of highly trained flies. The team was made up of one senior bluebottle and five highly trained house flies; that is, a Bluetenant and five Flight Sergeants.
The flies were not just ordinary houseflies; no they were smart and well educated. All of them had graduated from kindergarten and gone on to higher education at Fly School. However as Pearl had pointed out to her Cabinet Ministers; in selecting the right candidates, intelligence was not the number one priority as this was an intelligence gathering operation, not an intelligence using one.
The flies had been brought in from outside the area and fitted all the criteria to be mercenary, fast in the air and on the land and had perfect eyesight and hearing.
Under Pearl Baker-Moth’s instructions the K.G.B. ran foot patrols on a daily basis along the stream banks under camouflage to watch for any signs of Al Spider. Some of the Flight Sergeants were also stationed on the ridge behind Al Spider and the Valley Barn to watch for any activity. At night at least one Bluetenant would be airborne to watch out over the streamside community.
Most of the time all was peaceful and activities along the stream carried on from day to day as normal.
However it was one grey day towards the end of summer at about 9.00 a.m. Pearl Baker-Moth was relaxing at home in her street lamp apartment when her smell phone rang. It was B4 from the northern most cabinet. ‘Hello Mam, B4 reporting in. I don’t wish to worry you Mam but I am afraid it looks serious’.
‘Go on’, said Pearl.
B4 continued. ‘Al Spider and two hundred or more of his gang members are on the move south on the west bank a short distance from the village. It appears they have crossed the village bridge during the night. I presume they are probably heading for the Reserve Bank’.
Pearl paused and thought for a moment. There had been the odd occasion when Al Spider and/or some of his gang members had been on the west side, however not in the numbers B4 was indicating.
Pearl responded. ‘Thanks B4 for advising me of the situation. If they are heading for the Reserve Bank, any estimate of how long they will take to get there?’
‘At the present rate we estimate less than 24 hours Mam. I would say tomorrow morning 6.00 a.m.’, B4 replied.
Pearl thanked B4 for the information and asked him to keep her posted and to advise B1, B2 and B3 of the situation.
Pearl immediately phoned Louie, who was busy at the Factory, and asked him to come to her apartment as soon as possible.
Louie took about five minutes, which gave Pearl a chance to think about the situation and how it might be dealt with. Pearl reflected, ‘thank goodness’ she had put in place her Cabinet Ministers and Intelligence gathering services. It gave her some warning and time to think and react.
Louie arrived hoping it was something special for morning tea, however by the look on Pearl’s face and the fact that her feelers stood straight up meant something was up apart from her two feelers.
‘What is it Pearl?’ said Louie.
‘A bit of disturbing information Louie’, said Pearl. ‘Al Spider and about two hundred of his gang are on the move up the western side of the stream and it is believed they are heading for the Reserve Bank. Apparently they came over the bridge in the village during the night’.
‘Oh no, two hundred!’ exclaimed Louie. ‘The Reserve Bank is full of deposits from the summer season we have to do something to stop this guy!’
Louie paused for a moment and felt slightly guilty that his first consideration had been for the dollops and scents when the most important thing was that Arnold and the tellers were at the bank unaware of the situation.
Pearl pre-empted Louie’s thoughts and said. ‘Louie you are going to have to advise Arnold and the tellers of the situation and get them out of there. First of all I suggest we get on the phone to Virgil and get some of his wasps in to pick them up and take them to the Factory. At the Factory we can explain the situation’.
Pearl paused for a moment then said. ‘Louie you phone Arnold and I will get on to Virgil right away’.
Louie did as suggested and advised Arnold to be ready to be picked up by the wasps within the next 15 minutes. Louie advised Arnold that he couldn’t say over the phone why they were being picked up but he would tell all at the Factory later. Louie added, to ease the situation, that there was some chocolate cake and nectar in the office and to help themselves when they arrived.
Louie then phoned Import at the Factory to advise that Arnold and the tellers would be arriving in the next half hour and to make them welcome.
Pearl in the meantime had spoken to Virgil who had duly dispatched the wasps to pick up Arnold and the bank staff.
Pearl remained relatively calm and collected. She realised the situation was serious and that they still had to think of a way to prevent Al Spider from reaching the bank.
Louie was nervous and his wings trembled a little at times. Pearl went into the larder and brought back a couple of glasses of nectar together with one of her B Vitamins for Louie – this time, Vitamin B Calm.
Pearl said, ‘Louie come and sit down, we have done all we can for the moment, we need to deal with just one thing at a time. The next thing to consider is how we stop Al Spider and the Valley Barn Gang from gaining access to the Reserve Bank’.
While Pearl and Louie were sitting down, Pearl’s smell phone rang, it was Virgil Blue.
‘Just a moment Virgil, I have got Louie with me, I’ll just switch over to speaker phone’
‘Go ahead Virgil’, said Pearl.
‘Hi Pea
rl and Louie’, said Virgil. ‘I have a bit of a problem; my wasps have arrived at the bank, in fact they are overhead at the moment. Unfortunately they can’t land; there are at least a hundred of Al Spider’s mosquitoes blocking the entrance to the bank!’
Pearl’s feelers stood straight up again. Pearl thought for a moment then responded. ‘Thanks Virgil. Bring the wasps back and we will consider an alternative, over and out’.
‘Wilco’, Virgil responded.
Pearl and Louie sat in silence for a moment. Louie was really worried. Pearl returned to being calm and collected and her feelers went down again.
‘Louie’, said Pearl. ‘We have two main issues here. The first is the safety of your staff at the bank and the second is that of Al Spider coming south along the stream’.
Louie listened intently and Pearl continued. ‘First of all phone Arnold and get him to barricade himself and the tellers in. Explain the situation but don’t frighten him. The mosquitoes don’t have the capability to break into the bank; they are just a means of stalling any rescue efforts by us. The staff will be safe in the meantime. Explain to Arnold that we are handling the situation and not to worry. We will work through this somehow’.
Louie felt better with the reassurance from Pearl and phoned Arnold.
While Louie was phoning Arnold, Pearl phoned Virgil again and asked for a meeting about an idea she had.
When Louie was off the phone, Pearl exclaimed with some urgency. ‘Louie I have phoned Virgil and asked for a meeting at his hangar, I will tell you about it there, let’s go’.
Off the pair went at top speed to Virgil’s premises where he was waiting in the hangar.
‘Hi Pearl and Louie’, said Virgil. ‘Come in and sit down and let’s hear this idea of yours Pearl’.
Pearl reiterated that the two issues were one, the safety of the staff at the Reserve Bank and two, to slow the progress of Al Spider coming up from the village.
‘I think to deal with the staff trapped at the bank’, said Pearl. ‘We should do as follows. In Mr McFarland’s bathroom cabinet is some mosquito repellent. What I suggest we do is for you Louie to organise the Ten Ants to bring this out bit by bit across to the hangar here, then we air lift it and drop it on the mosquitoes outside the bank!’
‘Not a bad idea’, said Virgil. ‘I can certainly arrange to ‘top-dress’ the mosquitoes if you can get the stuff to me Louie’.
Virgil went on to add that. ‘The best time to do the ‘top dressing’ would be early in the morning when the mosquitoes are on the ground; it would be difficult to do it while they are flying’.
Louie chipped in and said. ‘This would be too late Virgil, Al Spider will be there by early morning and all will be lost’.
Pearl then reassured Louie. ‘Louie this is where the second part of my idea comes in. We need to slow down the progress of Al Spider’.
‘Virgil’, explained Pearl. ‘On Mr McFarland’s driveway there are thousands of small stones. Would it be feasible for a team of your wasps to pick these up one by one and strategically drop them on Al Spider and the gang? It should slow him down and give us a window of opportunity to drop the mosquito repellent in the morning’.
‘Yes I believe that is quite feasible’, said Virgil.
As an afterthought Virgil said. ‘Just one thing, I would be a bit concerned about taking the wasps off taxi and courier services for the rest of the day’.
‘Well I think I can help you here Virgil’, said Pearl. ‘I will make contact with the rest of the community and advise them of the situation. In fact we will put a message over Fly TV. All at the Nest Café will see it and I will personally advise the rest that all air transport will be reduced for twenty-four hours to a skeleton service of say two wasps. Would that be OK Virgil?’
‘Seems OK to me Pearl’, said Virgil. ‘How about you Louie, would the Ten Ants co-operate in bringing out the mosquito repellent?’
Louie seeing that there was a positive path of action ahead responded. ‘Yes I think the Ten Ants would welcome a change from their routine work if I reward them suitably – no problem’.
Louie went on to say ‘If we could arrange a day away for the Ten Ants with your air services after this is all over Virgil, I would have no bother getting the Ten Ants behind us on this one’.
‘Done’, said Virgil. ‘We will all look forward to it!’
The three of them went over the plan again and reiterated and confirmed their individual responsibilities.
The plan was for Louie to immediately arrange for the Ten Ants to start bringing the mosquito repellent to Virgil’s hangar and for Virgil to arrange for his wasps to start ‘bombing’ Al Spider with stones from Mr McFarland’s driveway. By the end of the day Virgil was to have mosquito repellent ready for takeoff and dispatch at dawn. Pearl would advise the insect community of reduced air services.
Both Virgil and Louie congratulated Pearl on the splendid idea. Pearl smiled.
‘Thanks you two’, she said. ‘It’s so good to have you helping me like this.
The three had agreed to keep in contact and meet back at 4p.m. at Virgil’s hangar to report on progress.
Within half an hour the Ten Ants were on the job of transporting the mosquito repellent. It was quite a tedious job as there was a reasonable distance between Mr McFarland’s bathroom cabinet and Virgil Blue’s hangar. The job would most likely take the Ten Ants the rest of the day.
Virgil had cleverly arranged for empty courier packs to be strapped to the Ten Ants to carry the mosquito repellent. These in turn were emptied into larger courier packs at Virgil’s hangar ready for dispatch in the morning.
Virgil recalled eighteen of his fleet of twenty wasps. The wasps were excited at the prospect of the job in hand. Virgil warned the wasps to be vigilant in picking up the stones from Mr McFarland’s driveway; Mr McFarland wasn’t too fussed on wasps in his garden. However it appeared as though luck was on the insect’s side, Mr McFarland had in fact headed to the village for the day to do his weekly shopping.
By now it was late morning; Pearl Baker-Moth was back in her apartment surveying the scene below. She could see the wasps flying past one by one carrying stones and disappearing in the direction of the village. Looking south she could see the Ten Ants marching in line with the courier packs full of mosquito repellent. So far so good!
Pearl Baker-Moth was pensive however. There was still the issue of Al Spider and the gang eventually arriving at the bank and stealing the dollops and scents. The dollops and scents stored in the Reserve Bank were essential to keep the western insect economy going through the coming winter months.
It was of serious concern that if Al Spider and the Valley Barn gang got hold of the dollops and scents in the Reserve Bank, the dollops and scents could end up as being toxic assets and throw the whole western insect economy into depression. Something had to be done.
Pearl had a plan. She opened up her gaptop (insect world lap top), opened the window and was onto the Internet.
Pearl who was often on the Internet looking for things going ‘cheep’ immediately got onto Twitter then twittered and tweeted to the World Wide Web: ‘Free spider meal’!
Because birds are really into twittering, Pearl had an immediate response from a starling. ‘Where?’
Pearl carried on twittering and tweeting with the starling for the next 15 minutes, explaining the situation.
After much twittering and negotiations Pearl had arranged for up to two hundred starlings to be perched on Mr McFarland’s shed roof at 7-30 in the morning. Pearl had explained where the Reserve Bank was. Pearl would contact the chief starling on his smell phone when Al Spider and the gang were in the open outside the Reserve Bank and order an attack.
The starling Pearl was twittering with was very sympathetic to the cause and very co-operative. What a ‘darling starling’ thought Pearl.
Pearl made some notes for the meeting scheduled for 4p.m. with Virgil and Louie down at the hangar.
The
next job was to get onto her Cabinet Ministers and keep them informed of what was going on. It was essential for the Bluetenants to keep the flight sergeants out of the area during the starling attack tomorrow. In fact Pearl had declared for all of tomorrow morning the area between Mr McFarland’s shed roof and the Reserve Bank was to be a ‘No Fly Zone’.
Having informed her Cabinet Ministers of the situation there wasn’t much for Pearl to do now until the meeting in Virgil’s hangar. She relaxed and waited.
At 4.00 p.m. the insects met at Virgil Blue’s hangar to compare notes on progress.
The Ten Ants had worked hard and had already finished the job. Louie had let them have the remainder of the day off for their efforts but had kept Import back at the meeting in case there might be some further involvement for the Ten Ants.
Virgil opened the meeting and reported on progress. ‘The wasps have done their best to slow the progress of Al Spider; a significant number of the gang are now stoned and have headaches. I would estimate we have slowed their progress by about two hours. This means Al Spider and the gang will be due outside the Reserve Bank about 8.00 a.m.’
Virgil went on to say. ‘What I propose to do is to do run the top dressing operation at first light which will be 6.00 a.m. Louie I will need the Ten Ants onboard to make the drop’.
The mosquito repellent the Ten Ants had brought in from Mr McFarland’s bathroom now filled ten large courier bags. These were to be strapped to Virgil’s fuselage. With the Ten Ants onboard each ant would release the packs on a signal from Virgil.
Louie responded. ‘Yes that will be fine, I will get Import to arrange for the Ten Ants to be here at say 5.00 a.m. for briefing and instructions before boarding?’
Louie turned and spoke to Import about the proposal. Import was really really excited about the whole deal and ran off as fast as an ant can go without getting his legs in a knot to tell the others.
‘Excellent’, said Virgil. ‘When we fly in and wipe out the mosquitoes I will have ten wasps follow to pickup Arnold and the tellers immediately afterwards’.
‘The question is’, said Virgil. ‘What do we do with Al Spider and the gang once they arrive at the bank, shall we continue dropping stones on them?’
Pearl who had been quiet up until now, explained what she had arranged with the starlings. Virgil and Louie were very impressed with Pearl’s brilliant idea.
‘That is just fantastic!’ said Louie and Virgil.
Pearl went on to ask. ‘Once the mosquito repellent drop has been made and the bank staff have been lifted out, Virgil could you circle over the Reserve Bank and advise me by phone when Al Spider and the Gang arrive?’
Virgil agreed to the strategy and added that he would keep a reasonable distance away so that Al Spider wouldn’t detect him.
Having agreed on Virgil’s observation role, Pearl continued. ‘Virgil once you have advised me that Al Spider and the Gang are in place could you discreetly vacate the area and return to the hangar. I want everyone out of the area between Mr McFarland’s shed roof and the Reserve Bank so the starlings can do their job’.
The plan was in place, everything was set for the morning. Louie and Pearl thanked Virgil for his marvellous efforts. It had been agreed to assemble at 5.30 a.m. at Virgil’s Hangar the next day.
Louie and Pearl headed back up the stream as the afternoon turned to evening.
‘Let’s go to the Nest Café for tea’, suggested Pearl.
‘Good idea’, said Louie.
The two insects flew down the stream and on to the Nest Café. Pearl was looking forward to relaxing with some red wine after such a tense day.
Later, quite a bit later, after a really enjoyable meal, the pair headed back to their respective homes in the light of a full moon, ready to take on what ever lay ahead the next day.