CHAPTER 72: Go For Launch

 "Good morning, you big lug!" said Summer Holiday as she gave Travis Scott a big hug.  

"Good...morning, Summer.  This sure is a friendly greeting.  I'm not complaining though" replied Travis.

"I'm in a very friendly mood today...the boss says I'm going to get a promotion and I just want to spread the joy!" she said.

"Congratulations!" said Travis.  "Have you told Liberty yet?"

Summer nodded in the direction of their housemate, Liberty Lee, and said "I did but I'm not sure she heard me.  She's had her head in that book all morning"

"I did hear you, and congratulations...again...but I'm very, very busy with going over this flight plan one more time before work" said Liberty, not taking her eyes off the book for a second.

"Oh, that's right...today's the day of the launch!  We'll be here, watching it on TV" said Travis.

"Well I have to be at the space centre to do last minute checks on the capsule.  So much to look out for!" said Liberty.

"You'll be great...you're Space Y and NASA's brightest spark!" said a very cheerful Summer.

Summer and Travis had to head off to work and Liberty's nerves started to jitter.  This was her first mission launch and she had done her best to conceal her trepidation, her fear that she might not measure up to the other brilliant minds in the space programme...that she might fail.  She headed off to her bedroom to try and calm herself down before heading off to work.  Looking into the mirror, which had become a psychological aid for her of late, she gave herself a pep talk.

I am but one small part of this enterprise... she told herself... I can't let everyone down, I can't let the team down and, more importantly, I can't let those two astronauts down.  I will be calm, I will do my job and I will do my best to make this mission succeed. 

After a final deep breath she was ready to head off to the Space Centre.

The hours ticked by and in the middle of the afternoon Summer and then Travis arrived home.  Summer, feeling beat but not wanting to miss the TV coverage of the launch, took a brief nap in her room.  Travis busied himself with his electronics hobby.  Half an hour before launch, Travis burst into Summer's room and shook her awake.

"Come on! You'll miss the action!" said Travis, loudly, to wake her up.

"Hmmmm, Travis...you're here!" said a dreamy Summer.  "Oh...you're here!  In my room!" she said, suddenly waking up.  

"Yes! The launch! You don't want to miss it!" he said "I've made us dinner, come on!"

The two picked up a plate of food each and headed off to the lounge to watch the launch of Gemini 8 on their TV.

"The Agena target vehicle blasted off into orbit approximately 10 minutes ago." said the TV presenter. "Armstrong and Scott in Gemini 8 will launch in 15 minutes with the goal of first rendezvousing, then docking with the Agena.  Never before in manned spaceflight has such a manoeuvre been attempted but, if successful, it will be yet another step in man's journey to the Moon and beyond"

"Did you understand any of that?" asked Summer.

"About half of it" replied Travis.

Most of the TV coverage was showing the Titan rocket with the Gemini 8 capsule on the top with a countdown timer in the bottom left hand corner and the TV presenter, plus expert commentators, talking about the mission, the astronauts and filling in some details to anyone interested at home.  But on screen there was just the rocket on the launch pad with the monotone voice of the presenter.

"The Mark III radio command guidance system has fed the final flight parameters into the launch vehicle..." he said at the T minus 3 mark.

"Why is it called 'T minus 3'?" asked Summer.

"Shh!" said Travis.  At that moment there was a knock at the door.  "Oh what now?" he said in frustration.

"Oh hello...it's me from across the way" said a voice.  Travis and Summer looked at the door and saw through the window one of their neighbours...not someone they knew that well other than to say hello to but she was at the door now.  Travis got up and opened it for her.

"Hello?" he said.

"Oh hello...are you watching the launch?  Oh you are, great!  Can I ask a favour?  A fuse has blown in my house and the TV went on the blink and I haven't got time to fix it before the launch happens....may I watch it with you?"

Travis looked at Summer for some reassurance and Summer nodded.  "Don't keep her out on the doorstep, Travis, invite her in!" she said.

The woman said thank you and they all settled down again to watch the launch.

The countdown continued "T minus 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...we have ignition and lift off"

"Oh my gosh, this is exciting!" said Summer, biting her knuckles.

"Come on baby, higher...higher!" said Travis, his fist clenched in excitement.

"Yes....YES!" said the neighbour.

"I don't want it to fail!  Oh I hope it makes it!" said Summer.  Travis and the neighbour looked on with awe at this rocket speeding away into the cosmos carrying two men on board.  

Then, in five minutes, the spacecraft was no longer to be seen by the cameras on the ground.  It had made it into orbit.  The TV newsmen had said that the astronauts reported that everything was nominal and working A-OK.  The three watchers breathed a sigh of relief that the launch had been a success.

"So when's the docking going to happen?" asked Summer. 

"In about six hours time" said their visitor.  

"Would you stay for a drink?" said Summer.  Their guest said yes and the three of them chatted and Travis talked about their housemate who worked at the space centre and was a small part of the mission.

After a couple of hours, the neighbour went home and both Travis and Summer were feeling sleepy.  They were happy that the launch was successful but now, after there'd been more than 20 manned missions into space by the two superpowers, they were sure everything else would go OK.

But they were wrong.  For Liberty, her work shift was going to get manic.  Seven hours into the mission there was a problem with the manoeuvring thrusters on the Gemini capsule which caused it to tumble end over end, one revolution per second, and threatening to cause both astronauts to black out.  Liberty and the back room team frantically tried to find a solution to the problem but in the end there wasn't enough time and it fell to the mission commander, Neil Armstrong, to solve it...use the re-entry thrusters to stabilise the craft.  It was the correct thing to do, but it left them with little fuel left to do all the planned procedures of the mission so they had to return to Earth.  Summer and Travis awoke the next morning to see that Gemini 8 had splashed down in the sea.  It was soon after that Liberty came trudging home.

"Wow, did you only just get back?" said Summer, who was putting some dishes away in the cupboards.

"Yes...there was a problem in the mission and I had to pull a double shift" said a weary Liberty.

"Are the astronauts OK?" said a worried Summer.

"Yes, they're absolutely fine...they did an excellent job" 

"YES!" said Summer, punching the air in triumph.

 Liberty smiled.  "You are the most cheerful and positive person I've ever met...and with that, I will see you in a few hours" she said, walking to her bedroom.

CHAPTER 71: Why Are You Here?

 

At the hospital, senior nurse Francesca Griffiths approached Dr Julia Epstein about a delicate matter.

"Dr Epstein...my little Stefanie is not well, I think it's a stomach bug...would you examine her? She's very scared of hospitals but seeing as she knows you I thought a friendly face might put her mind at ease"

"Certainly" said Julia, looking at Stefanie. "Come on, follow me...I know the most comfortable bed in this hospital is available and if we're quick we can get it before anyone else!" Turning to Francesca she said "Don't worry, I've got it from here"

Julia led Stefanie to the room where the little girl changed into her pyjamas. Julia began her examination.

"So where's it hurting you?" she asked. Stefanie pointed to her stomach. "I see, let's just feel around the area and tell me if you feel any soreness when I press down"

The girl winced when Julia pressed around the centre of the stomach. Satisfied by that test, Julia then got out a swab to take a sample but she dropped the first one on the floor. "Oops, butterfingers!" she said. Stefanie chuckled at nice Dr Julia's clumsiness. "Let's try that again....and swab...and....oops!"

Julia felt very embarrassed at this rookie mistake. This little girl, and her mother, had put their trust in her to help Stefanie and here she was dropping swabs and samples all over the place. "Listen, Stefanie" she said. "Do you trust me...even though I'm being such a klutz today?"

"Yes Dr Julia" the little girl replied.

"I'm going to send for the best doctor in this hospital. The top person, I think she can help you and she won't drop everything on the floor. Is that OK?"

The girl nodded and Julia went to find Dr Murakami, her superior. "Dr Murakami" she said. "I have a little girl in room 2; she's Nurse Griffith's daughter and...well...I think her case is a little out of my league"

"Really, Dr Epstein? I thought you relished a challenge"

"Well...on this occasion....I think it's because I'm a friend of the family I'm too close to things. Maybe a more detached view is needed here?"

"Very well, Dr Epstein...I'll trade you cases: You take my ruptured disc case and I'll look in on young Miss Griffith"

Julia read the case notes for her new patient: Mrs Edna Sneedley, age 41, suspected ruptured back disc. Julia went to the waiting room and called out for Mrs Sneedley. A stern looking, smartly dressed woman struggled to stand up and hobbled over to Julia. "I'm Edna Sneedley"

"Let me help you or get a wheelchair for you..." Julia began

"Certainly not! I'm quite alright...just a joint out of place I assure you!" said the woman, harshly. "I need to get out of here as soon as possible"

"Well, let's determine what's wrong first...this way Mrs Sneedley."

Julia examined Mrs Sneedley and her tentative diagnosis so far was that there was swelling around her lower spine area. "So when did you notice the pain and swelling?" she asked.

"During the protest" replied Mrs Sneedley. "I'd been standing there, leading it for some hours and all of a sudden I felt this pain in my back."

"If you don't mind me saying, you don't look like the protesting type. What was the cause?"

"The shameful degradation and moral corruption of our society, Dr Epstein!" said an indignant Mrs Sneedley. "We were demonstrating outside of the Lothario Club"

"Isn't that the one owned by Alan Cuffe?" replied Julia.

"Yes....vile man! He was our next door neighbour for a while. Fortunately he moved out last week but the wild and debauched parties he threw in his previous house! Ugh! I hope you're not a fan of his"

"Certainly not! I have had the unpleasant experience of meeting him...twice now. He tried to recruit me into his Kitten Club: I turned him down flat" said Julia, grimacing.

"Oh those shameless women parading about in next to nothing!" said Edna. "Well I'm glad to hear you are not a fan. Do you not agree that morals are declining in this day and age?"

"I certainly do Mrs Sneedley. Everywhere you look it's sex, sex, sex. And then there's the drugs, the rule breaking, men with long hair....I prefer a bit of order and common sense"

"You sound like the kind of young person we need in the League of Decency" said Edna.

"The League of Decency? Is that your organisation?" asked Julia.

"Yes...would you be interested in attending one of our meetings?"

"I think I would like to, Mrs Sneedley. Now I'm going to send you for an x-ray. Don't worry, I'll get a hospital attendant to take you there."

The League of Decency, thought Julia. Maybe it was time to get involved in a cause?

At the end of her shift, Julia headed home with Mrs Sneedley's business card with the contact phone number and address for the League of Decency in her handbag. When she arrived home she found that her aunt Elle was in the house.

"Hi Auntie Elle" said Julia, surprised to see her in her house. "I gave you a copy of my house key in case of emergencies"

"This is an emergency!" barked her Aunt. "My landlord wants to kill me!"

Julia sighed. This seemed to be another of her Aunt's paranoid outbursts. "For the last time, Aunt Elle, your landlord is your brother...he's not out to get you"

"He's been out to get me since I was six!"

"I'll call dad and sort this out" said Julia but before she could get to the phone there was a knock at the door. "Who is it?" said a startled Aunt Elle. Julia went to investigate and it turned out to be her next door neighbour, Suzy Kent.

"Hi Suzy...nice to see you. I must warn you, my aunt has dropped around and she's, well, a bit of a handful" said Julia.

"Do you need any help?" asked Suzy.

"Actually, if you don't mind, maybe having a chat will calm her down a bit."

Suzy agreed and went inside to greet Aunt Elle. "Hello, I'm Suzy...I live next door. I think I recognise you; don't you sometimes sing at the Solar Flare Club?"

"Yes....who told you to say that? Julia, why is this person here?" said Elle.

"She's my neighbour, Aunt"

"I enjoyed your singing...I was there with my boyfriend and we both liked the show" said Suzy, trying to be friendly.

"Harumph" said Elle.

"Suzy here works for 'Hey, Wow' magazine." said Julia, trying to lighten the mood. "She knows all the best places in town as well"

Elle said nothing but instead scowled at Suzy. Her monopoly over Julia in her home had been broken and she did not like it at all.

As Suzy and Julia tried making small talk with Elle, the woman stood up and went outside without saying a word. There, just at the side of the house, she kicked the trash can over in anger and frustration.

"I'm so sorry you have to experience this" said Julia to Suzy after Elle had stepped outside. "You see, my aunt has psychological problems and sometimes she can control her behaviour and sometimes she can't"

"It's family though...you have to stick by them" said Suzy. At that moment there was another knock at the door.

"I think Elle might have locked herself out" said Julia, getting up to answer it. But it wasn't Elle, instead it was Francesca.

"Hi Julia...sorry for dropping by unannounced" she said.

"Don't worry...it's been an evening of unannounced guests. Come in" said Julia. "This is my neighbour, Suzy....Suzy this is my work colleague and friend, Francesca"

The two women greeted each other in a friendly manner. At that moment Aunt Elle returned. "What's this? More people!" she said.

"Francesca's a colleague of mine" said Julia.

"I just wanted to say a big thank you for putting Stefanie's fears at ease today" said Francesca.

"I don't know if I did that...I made a hash of things really" said an embarrassed Julia.

"That's what made her feel at ease...she thought you were funny for such a clever person"

"People! People just showing up and talking...never stopping talking!" muttered Elle.

"Aunt Elle...these are my friends. They're not a threat to you or to anyone" said an increasingly exasperated Julia.

"So why did they just drop by, unannounced?" said Elle.

"Why did you?" said Julia.

"I told you! My landlord is out to kill me!"

"He is not! He's my uncle, your brother! Now Auntie Elle....please show some kindness and manners towards my friends!"

"Hurumph! Well I won't stay around here being insulted. Goodbye, Julia....maybe when they find my body you'll think twice!" and with that, Aunt Elle stormed off.

Julia sighed and turned to her friends. "I'm so sorry about that. She'll be alright come tomorrow morning" but deep down she was worried that her Aunt's condition was getting worse and she was now shunning proper medical treatment and instead just randomly showing up at her place as a form of refuge. What to do, she thought, what to do?

CHAPTER 70: Flashback

 

John Action checked his ex-military wristwatch to see when his next work shift would start. It was a Saturday, not normally a work day for him but the shift was down a few cops this week due to something nasty going around the precinct so he was being called in to cover a shift. However, he'd been up until late last night partying with friends so he had brewed up a concoction of vitamins, alka seltzer and caffeine to help him through his day.

At the station things were very quiet. There were fewer police on duty today and even the Chief was away until Monday. The duty roster called for someone to patrol downtown San Myshuno in the Spice District and without any black and whites to dispatch to the area, Action volunteered to head down there on his own to patrol. Before he left he had a word with the duty forensics officer.

"Hey, Doc, did you find anything in that letter I gave you to analyse? Anything to go on?" he asked.

"Looked it over, scanned it, sent it to the boys over at cryptography but we couldn't find a darned thing to tie it to anyone" came the reply. "Whoever made the letter was a pro and knew how to leave no trace. You're looking at a master forger here, Action"

"...or someone who has access to a master forger." Action said, thinking of a crime syndicate being responsible. "Thanks, Doc" he said before heading out on to the streets.

The Streets of San Myshuno had changed little since he grew up there; true the old sailor's dive was now a swinging jazz club and the central area had been smartened up. Even the locals had changed since those days in the 40s and 50s; there were now more professional, middle class people around here but it was still a potential hot spot for crime, particularly street crime.

Up ahead, at the old basketball court shooting some hoops, was a face he recognised. Action went over to greet him. "Well if it isn't Bob Pancakes...I thought you'd moved out of here a long time ago" he said.

Bob looked up a little puzzled before a flash of recognition appeared on his face. "Oh yes, Action. I haven't seen you since High School" he said.

"That's probably the last time we saw each other" said Action.

"Well, I'm still here...well, I've moved to Willow Creek now"

"Same here, I'm over at Foundry Cove. Say, what are you doing these days?"

"Oh this and that, I spent 2 years in the Navy, got my discharge and settled down" said Bob.

"You? Married?"

Bob let out a heavy sigh. "Yep...." and his voice trailed off. Action knew not to press Bob on this subject. Changing subject, Bob asked Action what he did now.

"I'm a cop" he said.

"Really? You? You were always getting busted by the principal at school!" laughed Bob.

"I got my act in order, Bob" said Action. "But being back here...these old streets...you still missing slam dunks...it's all coming back" but as he spoke those words he saw a young girl spraying paint on the ground outside the Waterside Warble. "No rest for the wicked...I'll have to deal with this" he said to Bob and with that he headed over to the girl, who looked vaguely familiar.

"Excuse me, Miss, do you have a permit to be doing that?" he said to the girl, who looked about 17 or 18 years old.

"Oh....yeah...somewhere on me" she said, patting the sides of her dress, vainly trying to find a pocket. Then she went over to her shoulder bag on the ground next to her, fumbled around and produced a crumpled piece of paper which had an official looking letter head on it. Action checked it over and nodded before handing it back to her.

"No problem, Miss" he said and began to walk off when suddenly he remembered where he'd seen her before. "Oh one other thing, Miss....aren't you Malcolm Landgraab's girlfriend?"

"I know Malcolm, but I don't discuss our private life with just anyone" she replied.

Action nodded. "Well I hope he's keeping his nose clean for his sake" he added. Then, from the other side of the plaza, he could hear a heated argument so ran off to deal with that.

"You're a pervert, that's what you are!" said a very attractive young woman who was wearing a brown exercise leotard and....little else. She was yelling at a young man who was dressed in trendy mod gear and had a Beatle haircut.

"Keep your voice down, lady, I can explain..." said the young man.

Action approached them both "hey, hey, hey, let's keep things cool guys....Detective John Action, Sim City PD" he said, showing his badge. The two calmed right down.

The woman started to talk "This cre ep has been ogling me for the last 10 minutes!"

"Is this true?" said Action to the young man.

"Well, I wouldn't say 'ogle'...." he replied. "I was watching this lady doing her yoga exercises in the plaza and was admiring her technique..."

"You were eyeing me up!" she responded, hotly.

"Well it's hard not to notice when you're bending and stretching looking like you do!" he said.

"Ma'am" said Action "why are you doing yoga in the plaza at this time?"

"Well it's the San Myshuno Yoga Club meeting today at 1pm and I arrived a little early...or maybe the others are a little late..."

"Yoga Club meets here on Fridays...this is Saturday" said Action.

"Oh" said the woman, looking embarrassed.

"Now whether it meets on what day is irrelevant" continued Action. "You don't just eye up women for your pleasure Mr?"

"Doctor, actually, Doctor Paul Collie" said the young man. "In my defence I was just plucking up the nerve to go and ask the lady if she wanted to go for a coffee with me"

"I think that's right off the cards now, man" said Action. "In future, don't act like a wimp but just flat out ask her without staring...or else back right off and walk on. Alright, get lost buddy" he said and Dr Paul Collie skulked off.

"And I'm going to need your name and address for the record, Miss"

"It's Freya Carlson and...if I may be discrete...I'm actually working a case here"

"A case? You on the force?" he said.

"Kind of...I work for S.I.M.S." she replied. Action sighed, not a government spook! That's all he needed.

"I'm going to need to see some identification" he said.

"Well...that's kind of difficult right now" she said, looking at her skin tight exercise clothes.

"So you're here on some kind of stake out and decided to dress in a way that sticks out like a sore thumb?" he said, shaking his head.

"Erm....I honestly thought Yoga Club was today and would make the perfect cover. You won't report this, will you?"

Action shook his head and walked off. His shift ended and after getting changed he invited his girlfriend, Katherine, to the Blue Velvet bar. They met outside and embraced warmly...it was good to feel her soft touch, especially after a day of having to deal with oddballs.

"Hmmm, so good to see you girl!" he said.

"Likewise" she replied smiling in a playful manner.

"Shall we go inside and get a drink?" he asked. She nodded and as he led the way she couldn't help herself in her playful mood and snuck up behind him to poke him in the ribs in jest. However Action, at that moment, had a Vietnam flashback to a time when he had been ambushed from the rear by a VC soldier and barely escaped with his life.

"DON'T YOU EVER, EVER DO THAT AGAIN!" he said, spinning around and yelling in her face.

"I...I was just having fun!" stammered Katherine.

"Well it ain't no fun when you live each day fearing that some punk's going to sneak up and get you!"

"Sorry" said Katherine, terrified by Action's manner. She led the way into the club and offered to buy drinks to calm him down. She could see that he was still seething and wondered why he was so touchy about something that she thought was innocuous.

They sat down at a table and Action looked at his drink without saying a word for about five minutes. The tension was there between the two of them but eventually Action spoke. "Listen, Katherine, I know you didn't mean any harm but I've spent most of my life looking over my shoulder: Growing up in the hood, the 'Nam and now on the streets of the city. I'm still coming to terms with a lot that's gone down over the years. I shouldn't have taken it out on you"

Katherine took a long sip of her drink. "You know, Action, us having an inter-racial relationship doesn't bother me at all. You being up from the streets and me being a daughter of wealth doesn't bother me either. But there's a side to you that scares me...the side that's seen maybe too much. I think you keep it bottled up"

"Dang straight I keep it bottled!" he said. "I have to maintain self-control"

"And did you do that earlier, outside? Maintain self-control?"

He shook his head "No. I'm the one who should be sorry, not you"

Katherine reached out and touched his hand. "I think you need help....maybe I can do that, maybe you might need to see someone else"

CHAPTER 69: Looking For Malcolm Landgraab

 

Back at her house, Suzy began to type up her notes of what she'd found whilst Neil brewed some coffee and acted as a sounding board for her ideas. Soon they were joined by Barbara Dubois from next door.

"Hey...Jeremy said you'd found something in that old tree. It sounds exiting" she said.

"I wouldn't say 'exciting'" said Neil, handing Barbara a cup of coffee. "But there's something more to that tree than meets the eye. Suzy wants to check it out again another day."

Suzy stopped typing and got up. "Well, whatever's in that tree the Landgraabs probably know about it. Say, all this speculation is getting to be a drag...how about we go and have some fun?" she said.

"Great! What do you suggest?" said Barbara.

"We could catch a movie or go bowling?" suggested Neil.

"If we went to the Bowl-o-Rama we could do both!" said Suzy. So it was agreed; a bowl then a movie afterwards.

The Bowl-O-Rama, 6pm

When they arrived at the place, Suzy couldn't believe her luck. "That's....Malcolm Landgraab and he's here!" she exclaimed.

"Is that significant?" asked Neil.

"Yes! I've been trying to track him down for weeks now and here he is" said Suzy.

"It looks like he's wearing one of those specialty bowling shirts" said Barbara. "Maybe he's part of a team?"

"Of course...let's follow him in. I'll book us an adjacent lane so I can keep tabs on his movements" said Suzy. Her friends shrugged their shoulders and followed along.

They checked in, got a bowling land and changed their shoes. Then they went to have a game but Suzy, all the while, was keeping tabs on Malcolm. He indeed was in team along with a fellow teen and an older lady. Malcolm had this special handshake with his team mate which they used every time one of them got a strike or a spare. Suzy noticed that some money and a small envelope would change hands when they did this.

About halfway through the game Suzy was surprised to see Bella Goth arrive, not wearing anything suitable to go bowling, and approach Malcolm. They seemed to be having a quiet conversation which Suzy couldn't overhear.

Bella smiled and cocked her head slightly towards Suzy "A journalist" she said.

Malcolm took the hint and nodded. He then returned to playing the game. Meanwhile Bella approached Suzy, Neil and Barbara. "Suzy, nice to see you"

"And you too, Bella" Suzy replied. She noticed that Mrs Goth was wearing her stiletto heels instead of bowling shoes. "Are you not going to have a game, Bella?"

Bella paused before answering "No. Just a flying visit really to see Malcolm. He and Cassandra are study partners at school and he had forgotten something which Cassandra had wished to pass on. I'm just the messenger."

"Oh I see" said Suzy, only half believing her. "I don't think I've met Malcolm yet...would you introduce us?" she continued. Bella took a deep breath and nodded.

"Malcolm...this is Suzy Kent from 'Hey Wow' magazine, I trust you've heard of it" said Bella.

"I have indeed. I also hear that you've been wanting to interview me for some time" said Malcolm to Suzy.

"That's true; I've spoken with both your parents but you've been very elusive of late" she replied.

"Got to stay ahead of the game, I'm sure you understand" said a cool, collected Malcolm.

"Hey, Malcolm...are you going to finish this game and give out the...prizes?" said the fair haired older lady.

"Prizes?" said an intrigued Suzy. "Are you in some kind of competition?"

"Private members only, Miss Kent" replied Malcolm. "Listen, babe" said Malcolm to the lady "all in good time. Well I mustn't keep my team mates waiting, Miss Kent, and I can see your friends are ready for you as well" he said, indicating Barbara and Neil. He turned away and continued to bowl. Suzy went back to her lane.

"I know he's up to something!" said a defiant Suzy.

CHAPTER 68: Inside The Tree

 

Suzy Kent was determined to move her investigations along. Since getting knocked back by her editor over her recent articles about the Landgraabs, she had been struggling to find a new avenue of enquiry. She pulled out a folder filled with notes she'd made coupled with some documents her contact, Burr DeBenning, had given her some weeks back. She went through them looking for a clue that she had hitherto had missed.

The line of investigation concerning Malcolm Landgraab had hit a dead end: His alleged criminal activities around his school could not be proven: The combination of him being a slippery customer and his parent's protection had led to nothing being learned. Likewise, her enquiries about Bella Goth's disappearance a few years ago had hit a brick wall: Mortimer Goth had seen to that. The Fengs? Well, Suzy found nothing on them so far. Looking at other documents she looked at the leaked development plans of the Landgraab Corporation to redevelop large parts of Willow Creek...including the street she lived on. There were proposals for a large industrial facility on this site but what made the document strange was that it kept referencing the large and colourful tree that grew just by Jeremy Saint's house. Under no circumstances was this tree to be cut down or damaged, the report said. But why? Suzy asked herself.

She went through some other documents attached to the proposal and what caught her eye was a handwritten note, attached by paper clip to the builder's plans. The note contained some cryptic instructions about the tree. It seemed like something a child would write for a creative writing assignment at school but the handwriting was definitely that of an adult. What could it mean and why was it attached to these building plans?

Suzy made a few phone calls...she was going to need some help!

Within the hour Neil, Jeremy and Summer had arrived at Suzy's house. She welcomed them in and talked over her plans.

"Thanks for coming" she said. "I've invited you all here because you've been very helpful to me, one way or another, during my investigation into this strange story involving the Landgraabs and their plans to bulldoze this street and build a factory here."

"Have you made a breakthrough?" asked Summer.

"Well....maybe" said Suzy. "The plans I've got here keep mentioning that big tree at the end of the road. And there's a note that refers to it as well. Here, take a look everyone" she said, passing the note around the group.

"It sounds like a nursery rhyme" said Jeremy.

"Yeah, are you sure this is serious?" said Neil, handing the note back to Suzy.

"At this point I have no idea but....how about we do what the note says? We'll go over to that tree and follow these instructions. Let's see what happens" she said to her friends.

There was a pause as Neil, Jeremy and Summer looked at each other, unsure of what to say. "Well, I guess so..." said Summer, eventually.

They grabbed a watering can and a flashlight and ran over to the large tree in question. Suzy stood right next to the tree and asked "Neil, what's the first instruction?"

Neil said, sceptically "The first instruction is...'water the base of the tree'"

"Water....a tree?" said an incredulous Jeremy. Suzy picked up the watering can and began to water near the roots. She emptied the can of its contents and waited to see if anything had happened. It didn't appear to have had any effect.

"OK, what's next?" asked Suzy.

Neil took a deep breath. "It says we have to praise the tree for its wonderful leaves"

Jeremy looked askance at Suzy "You want us to talk to a tree?"

"If that's what the note says, that's what I'm going to do" she replied. Suzy looked up and began to speak "Oh tree...oh beautiful tree with your magnificent foliage..."

Jeremy put his hands up to his face. "No...I'm not doing this!" he said.

Summer lightly punched him on the arm. "It looks weird but maybe something will happen?" she said.

"Yeah, they'll haul us away to the madhouse" said Jeremy.

"Your leaves are wonderful!" said Summer, joining in with Suzy.

"And every Spring the blossoms must be...erm....great" said Neil

Still nothing seemed to change so Neil read out the next instruction. "Now praise the roots" he said.

So the friends did the same thing again, but this time talking to the ground where the main roots buried themselves. Jeremy kept looking over his shoulder to see if anyone could see them doing this.

"I don't see any changes" said Summer, looking up and down the tree.

"We've been conned" said Jeremy.

Suzy walked all the way around the tree, touching the trunk and looking for the tiniest sign of something significant. Then, pulling back some creeper foliage, she saw a cavity in the tree trunk...a cavity she'd never noticed before when looking at the tree. "I've found something!" she exclaimed.

"Wait! That wasn't there before!" said Jeremy, excited.

"It's some kind of hollow in the tree that....leads into it" said Suzy, shining a flashlight into the hollow. "Wait...I can't see the back or the sides of the tree...it's like some kind of tunnel"

"How can that be?" said Summer.

"I don't know...but I'm going in to explore" said Suzy.

"Wait! Let me go first!" said Neil, trying to get in front of his girlfriend but he was too late...she had stepped inside the hollow and all he could do was follow her. Jeremy and Summer stayed outside.

Suzy's flashlight didn't reveal much...they were in some kind of tunnel, perhaps running underground but they couldn't detect any downwards slope. They walked on another 20 or so feet when Suzy heard the sound of the wind far off in the distance and could see a small light coming from a different direction. Thinking that the light was the exit point, Suzy and Neil walked towards it...but instead it led back to where they came from.

"Oh" said Suzy, re-emerging into the sunlight where she had just been. "We looped around on ourselves"

"How can that be?" said Jeremy. "I mean, that tree can barely hold two people in it and yet you were in there for...what, 5 minutes, and we couldn't see you at all. Did the passage lead underground?"

"I'm not sure" Suzy replied. "Let's talk about this over at the gardens"

The group went over to the communal garden to have a chat about what they'd seen and experienced. Suzy looked disappointed. "I thought they'd be more to it than that" she said.

"Well, that's a lot more than you expected before we went and checked that tree out" said Neil, trying to be helpful. "Now we know there's a hollow and an underground path in that tree. And I'm sure there was another path we could have taken. Maybe next time we'll try that?"

"Well, until then, I have to get to work. Chin up, Suzy" said Jeremy. Summer too had to leave but Neil remained behind.

"I think we should try again...but go better prepared." said Neil.

"Thanks for your help, Neil, I really appreciated it. You backed me up all the way and it was sweet the way you tried to go first and protect me" said Suzy, reaching out and hugging him. Neil only slightly recoiled at being spontaneously hugged.

CHAPTER 67: Llama Man

 

"I think....I may have had too much to drink" said a very woozy Barbara Dubois. She and her boyfriend, Jeremy Saint, had just staggered home from a party at their friend's house. Even though the party was just at the end of their very short street, the tipsy journey home seemed like an epic. Barbara could hardly stand on her feet....the problem was that she got the measurements for the punch recipe wrong and too much vodka had ended up in it. Everyone who was there was feeling worse for wear...everyone except John Action, their policeman friend, who seemed none the worse for wear.

Jeremy and Barbara helped each other up the porch steps, open the door and stumble to the bedroom.

"Oh Jeremy, I know we agreed to have a little fun time on our own this evening but I'm really feeling too tired and...well....out of it" said Barbara.

"I've got to give a presentation tomorrow and I know I'm going to have a thumping hangover" said Jeremy. "Let's take a rain cheque on that fun time"

They managed to take off their shoes and boots, Barbara her skirt but they didn't bother to finish changing before crashing out in their bed. The next morning, Jeremy hit the showers early whilst Barbara made the most simple of breakfasts. Both of them had hangovers. As they sat down to eat Jeremy asked Barbara if she was working as well today.

"I looked at my roster and I'm not on today...thank goodness. It's a shame you haven't got a day off as well; are you feeling well enough to go in?" she said.

"I can't justify not going in when all I have is a headache. I'll be fine...I've already got my notes and after a few cups of Dewey, Cheathem & Howe's worst caffeinated sludge I should be good to go. What will you do?"

"I don't know yet...I've got some ideas of what I'd like to do long term...I can't see myself at Hamburgerman for long; I need something more challenging and rewarding. Today, however, I will probably visit some of my old haunts down in San Myshuno"

And so it was that Barbara headed to the bright lights of the big city centre but when she got there she wasn't prepared for what she saw. There were crowds of people all gathered around some kind of open air exhibition, many of them dressed in costume. "What is going on here?" As she drew closer, intrigued by what she saw, she could hear music coming over some speakers.

"Duh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh!
Llama Man!
Llama Man!
Does whatever a Llama can
He can bleat
He can trot
Got everything that a llama's got
Look out!
Here comes Llama Man!"

"Llama Man?" said a confused Barbara, but all around she could see big posters for some kind of TV show called Llama Man, banners with "GO LLAMA MAN!" written on them in big, colourful lettering and people dressed in superhero costumes based on the motif of a Llama.

Barbara had to take a seat and wonder at this character, who seemed very popular judging by the size of the crowd. A woman sat next to her...but she was wearing a Llama Man costume.

"Phew! This place is really swinging today? I have to take a break; this headgear is VERY hot to wear!" said the woman.

"Don't tell me...you've come dressed as Llama Man?" said Barbara, introducing herself.

"Llama Man? No! I'm dressed as Llama Girl!" said the woman, indignantly.

"There's a Llama Girl as well?" asked Barbara.

"Of course; she's Llama Man's sidekick. Have you never seen the show?"

"No...I didn't know it existed"

"Oh you must watch it! It's only the number one rated TV show in Sim Nation! This is a special convention for the fans...the first one of its kind."

"I see...so do you play Llama Man in the show?"

"No, I'm a dedicated fan...the real Llama Man, that is actor Tab Strong, will be along later to sign autographs and speak with the fans. I'm part of the fan club and we members have come dressed as some of the characters. So I'm Llama Girl, over there we have The Poker, The Cormorant, Diddly D and Feline Fatale."

"And who are they?" asked Barbara, still none the wiser.

"The villains of the show, of course! You really must watch it"

After chatting to this fan of the show, Barbara took a look around this convention. One of the biggest, most impressive exhibits there was a massive rocket engine. She wondered if it was from the Llama Man TV show but a sign, plus a voiceover from a speaker, indicated it wasn't.

"SPACE...THE MOON...MAN'S DREAM OF CONQUEST..." went the voice recording. "If WE ARE GOING TO GET TO THE MOON, MARS AND VENUS IT WILL DEPEND ON NEW, POWERFUL ROCKET ENGINES SUCH AS THESE..."

A young man was looking excitedly at this rocket engine. "Wow! That's so awesome!" he said, turning to face Barbara. Once he saw her, his face turned white and suddenly he started mumbling. "Fnargh laghargle blahrgh flargh mwagh". He couldn't bear to look at her any longer and soon ran off. She wondered what his problem was.

The weirdness continued when she went to get something to eat from one of the vendors. As seating was limited, she asked to sit at the same table as someone else, a young man, and he could barely speak to her before he mumbled and ran off.

"What is going on?" she said out loud. "I showered this morning, it can't be body odour..."

"Allow me to explain" said a deep, resonant voice from behind her. Barbara turned around to see a well built man and curvaceous young woman both wearing Llama superhero outfits standing behind her.

"You see, young lady" said the man. "These are fans of science fiction and comic books...commonly known as 'nerds'. They often have difficulty relating to attractive young women such as yourself."

"Oh I see...that's funny because I often think I'm a nerd too." Replied Barbara. "I'm into all kinds of things people don't think are trendy. I must say your costumes look very authentic"

"That's because they are genuine costumes from the show. Allow me to introduce myself: My name is Tab Strong, I play Llama Man on the show. This is my co-star, Raquel Furnish." The woman waved to Barbara but said nothing. "I hope you enjoy the show" said Tab Strong.

"I've never seen it before, in fact I didn't know it existed until today" replied Barbara.

"WHAT?" said Tab. "Well, here, have this signed photo of Raquel and myself...compliments of Llama Man and Llama Girl. Remember, Llama Man is on every 8pm, Wednesday evening on SBC 12." and with that he handed over the photo to her.

Once the event was over, Barbara made her way home...still processing what she'd experienced. An entire exhibition and convention based around a single fantasy and science fiction TV show? It seemed a preposterous idea and she wondered if the idea would ever catch on. Once home she could catch up with Jeremy, who had just got back.

"Hey there, sweetheart" he said, as she entered the house. "Did you head off into town?"

"Yes...there was some strange kind of show there; all about this crazy TV show called Llama Man. I met the stars of it and they gave me a signed photo..." she said, showing him the picture of the two actors in costume.

"You got a signed photo of Llama Man and Llama Girl! No way!" said an excited Jeremy, barely able to contain himself.

"What? You know this show?" she asked, shaking her head.

"I never miss an episode!" said Jeremy. "Wow...you met Tab Strong and Raquel Furnish! Tell me, what's she like in real life?"

"Oh so you like Raquel Furnish do you?" said Barbara, looking cross at him.

"Oops...sorry. I mean, she's a fine actress but nowhere near as beautiful and as lovely as you, of course"

"That's better" said Barbara, smiling again.

Later on, as they retired to bed Barbara remembered something "Jeremy...how's your hangover?"

"Oh that...it's gone, I'm fine now" he said. "And yours?"

"Gone as well....I did promise you a treat last night, I'd like to keep it"

"Oh what did you have in mind?" said an inquisitive Jeremy.

"Why not come to bed and find out?" said a coquettish Barbara.