radio spares, parts of a bike, as many magnets, coils and any pieces of wire that he could lay his hands on.
The Professor then called Alan Green on his mobile phone, and told him to come to the office and pick me up on the way to Cambridge. Mr Green agreed reluctantly, he did not like the idea of travelling any further than necessary as he had just picked up a consignment of explosives that were currently sitting dangerously on his back seat.
I was not very impressed with the grumpy Mr Green and his lack of manners. Throughout the car journey Mr Green was abrupt, rude and impolite, so I decided to raise some of my concerns.
“With all due respect,” I said, “I am not convinced that you deserve any help from us.”
“Oh, trying to bump up your fees now are you? Do you want more money?” sneered Green.
“Not at all, there is more to life than money.”
“What do you want then?” asked the surprised M.P.
“Well, it is fair to say that you have not always acted honestly in the past. It would be nice to have an assurance that you intend to mend your ways in the future.”
Mr Green had an indignant expression and said, “What I have done is not half as bad as what some of the establishment do. I could tell you some shocking stories of illegal activities and betrayals that go on right under the public’s noses.”
Mr Green went on to tell me about some of the scandals that had been hidden over the years. He said that he had heard of undercover agents who had skilfully staged accidents to get certain people ‘out of the way'. He gave examples of how statistics were altered and records shredded, when influential people had ‘something to hide'. He spoke about how News stories were twisted and embellished by journalists and so called ‘spin doctors'
I was shocked. Could all this really be happening in the world?
“So, my theory is … if you can't beat them, join them,” said Alan Green
“You must not think like that,” I pleaded. “This country needs honest people to make sure that justice is done, and good prevails over evil.”
“So what do you want me to do about it?”
“I want you to promise that if we solve this problem, you will turn over a new leaf?”
Mr Green was out of options and promised that he would make a new start, and try and do the right thing from now on. Discussing the details of the plan, I said that we would need to stop off somewhere to buy some matches and lighter fuel, to start a small fire to carry off the scam.
“There is no need to stop for matches, I have something on-board already that will start a fire!” Mr Green said smugly.
The Professor drove erratically to Cambridge in the lumbering white van, and after what had seemed an age, eventually arrived to meet Dr Adams outside the Physics Research Facility. Together they made their way to the unused factory site where he had told the Press to assemble at 3 p.m. Dr Adams had arranged for a microphone and two powerfully amplified loudspeakers to be placed in front of a row of plastic chairs.
The Professor parked the large van a short distance behind the microphone stand, and they waited patiently as the press reporters arrived and took their seats. Caroline Wells from the Daily Herald newspaper was one of the first to arrive. Immaculately dressed in a tweed skirt and jacket suit, a gently contrasting cream blouse, and with her shoulder length blonde hair tied back in a neat bun, this was a reporter who demonstrated attention to detail. This formidable news hound had been tracking Alan Green’s actions for months, and amassing a great deal of compelling evidence to expose him.
The tension rose as the reporters and photographers waited for the 3 o'clock announcement. The Professor was stalling for time. It was already 3:15 p.m. and the crowd was getting impatient. Finally the Professor stood up to the microphone and started to speak slowly.
“Today, you will see the first demonstration of a most fantastic, awe inspiring, life changing, miraculous, brilliant ..”
“Get on with it!” shouted an impatient Caroline Wells.
“... amazing time machine. The equipment contained in the back of this vehicle is able to warp time, to slow the passage of existence around us for a second or so. I suggest you all look what happens to your watches while we start the demonstration,” announced the Professor, as the mobile phone in his pocket started to ring.
It was the French teacher Mme Dunne, chasing up the money towards the redecoration. As the Professor answered the phone he held the mobile near the microphone and the whole crowd could hear the conversation.
“Professor, I am phoning about that work, it’s urgent,” she said in a menacing French accent.
“I am not sure what you mean,” said the surprised Professor. He then whispered to the crowd, “It is the French Intelligence, they are on to us ... they know we have the time machine!”
“The top level work, our Agents say that you must share it. We will make you pay.” Mme Dunne shouted.
The Professor whispered to the reporters, “They are threatening violence and torture.”
The crowd was shocked to hear how desperate these people were to get hold of this new invention.
“We will enforce the lease-hold!' Mme Dunne hissed.
“Oh not the lease hold,” said the Prof, making gestures of a noose pulled tightly around the neck.
“It won’t take long, they can use an industrial gun, it gets results much quicker than the old methods of hundreds of strokes with a thick brush,” she cried.
The crowd gasped at the description of these ruthless methods, but they knew that if the undercover intelligence mob were prepared to go to these lengths to obtain this invention, it really must be a fantastic machine!
“Time is money,” Mme Dunne screamed as the Professor gesticulated along with every fitting word she said.
At that moment Mr Green's car hurtled round the corner into view.
“Get down, take shelter, I have explosives!” Green roared as he jumped out from the car door. He staggered towards the white van with a box of ammunition.
Mr Green showed courage and determination as he pulled the pin out of a hand-grenade and threw it under the van, and dived for cover.
There was an almighty explosion, pieces of electrical equipment flew into the sky, and the air shook. Everyone huddled under the plastic chairs as the white van burst into flames, its full petrol tank bursting to produce an orange wall of fire.
The fire brigade were on the scene within minutes, hosing down the burning wreck of the van with thousands of gallons of high pressure water, but it was all in vain. All that was left were black smouldering charred remains of the fabulous time machine. After the turmoil had died down, the press conference was continued back at the research laboratory.
Dr Adams, the Professor, and Mr Green were huddled in deep and rapid conversation. They stood united, all nodding in agreement with everything being said. Dr Adams shook the Professor’s hand warmly before rising to speak.
“Today has been an historic day thanks to the courage of one of our own M.P.s,” said Dr Adams pointing to Alan Green.
“The Professor and I had devised a machine that could warp time. It was a combination of years of research, and tireless hard work. It would have changed the world, but in the wrong hands it could have ruined the world. It is true that Alan Green has wrecked our historic research, in his wisdom, knowing that technological advances do not necessarily make life better. How many times, we wonder, have the inventors of the atomic bomb wished they could have destroyed the equipment that they themselves had invented? Ours was only a small time machine, only able to slow time for a second, limited by the size of its small raw earth magnets. Our next project however, was to build a large-scale time shifter, a machine the size of a sky-scraper. Not only would this device have destroyed the environment, the world would have been at wars to obtain this particular land in North Wales, the only area where this device could be activated.”
The crowd were deadly silent as they soaked up every word, so he continued, “Mr Green
has risked his own life, fearlessly working undercover, and single-handedly destroying the potentially deadly machine that we now appreciate was not a technical advance – but a technical monster.”
The crowd cheered, and photographers snapped pictures of Alan Green looking like the cat that had got the cream!
Dr Adams also look pleased, he had even convinced himself that he truly was the creator of a fantastic invention, and that he was prepared to sacrifice all the glory and recognition for the good of humanity!
Only one person in the room was not impressed. Caroline Wells was more than a shade sceptical, and was stunned that people were taken in with this story. Everyone else in the room was wildly ecstatic, shouting, cheering and clapping.
“Alan Green is our National Hero, and we have him to thank for saving Wales, and adding stability to the whole world,” shouted the Professor.
The applause and cheers from the audience continued relentlessly, turning into a standing ovation.
Dr Adams lent over to the Professor and whispered, “Did that machine really work?”
The Professor smiled and turned to me and said, “It all worked perfectly, didn't it!”
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