They were atrocious, with strong gusts of driving rain that lashed against the windscreen, as the wipers tried to sweep them aside as wave after wave of them made contact with the glass.
The Grange lay on the edge of the moor, although it did not take them long to reach it. When they arrived, after a particularly unpleasant journey, a man appeared from a small gatehouse, which guarded the main entrance.
Bob wound down his window as the man requested identification, much to Heather's annoyance. She started to shiver as another icy blast entered the van, and was gratefully to see the window winding up again, as he waved them through.
"Do you do much work here?"
Heather was curious, as it seemed an unlikely place to request the presence of the local computer repairman. Surely the Ministry would have their own people?
"No, but they were most insistent, and I don't like to let people down!"
There was a note of sincerity in his voice that was the mark of his conscientious nature. He pulled the van round into a small car park at the rear of the building, as Reggie looked out at the ornate brickwork, spoiled by a large radio mast, and a couple of military looking vehicles.
The engine cut out, and Bob gave Reggie a nudge. He quickly dashed out grabbing one of his uncle’s heavy toolboxes. Bob followed suit and they all made a dash for the nearest door. Heather had to hold her skirt down in the gusty wind, and her hair got ruffled, which upset her again.
An official looking man met them, who guided them through the doorway into a security room. Heather was eager to tidy herself up, so he took her over to a small changing room, where she could make herself look presentable again.
Reggie was quite excited at finally getting inside, and could see a row of monitors sitting by the wall. Some of them did not appear to be working, so he guessed his uncle must be here to repair them.
Bob smiled.
"It’s probably the weather - it plays havoc with the equipment."
He slipped behind them to check the wiring. Some of it appeared to have come adrift, and it almost looked as though it had been pulled out deliberately. He shook his head, wondering what could have caused it.
"Right, I've got to reconnect these wires, and then give the system a good once-over!"
He cleared a space, and plugged in the soldering iron before pointing to his toolbox.
"You couldn't get me that tin of flux could you, Reggie?"
Reggie opened the other toolbox, as Bob stared at the tangle of wires, hardly noticing a military looking man enter the room. He wore a dark pinstriped suit and had an official expression on his face. He was very smart - too smart for a weatherman!
"Will it take long to repair?"
They both looked round.
"No, only about half an hour."
Bob got himself ready to start soldering, as the man continued speaking.
"I understand you had a strange experience the other night!"
Bob coughed.
"It was nothing much really!"
He tried to be evasive, wondering where the man had got his information from.
"I only mentioned it, as I thought I saw something myself!"
Reggie was not sure he had - it seemed more like an interrogation than a friendly chat.
"Well things certainly were a little unusual to say the least!"
Bob laughed, as he began soldering the wires together.
"It all started about tea time, I knew Val my wife would be out at her Scrabble club, so I took the opportunity to catch up on some paperwork at the shop. After a while, my head felt as though it was going to burst, so I decided to get a bit of fresh air. I must have been walking for quite some time, as I found myself on the edge of the moor. Something grabbed my attention, and I turned round to see a strange light in the sky. This aroused my curiosity, and before I knew what I was doing, I was following it across the grass. I felt my feet getting wet, but it didn't seem to matter. The light was getting more intense, and it suddenly shot across the sky at an incredible speed. I keep up on the latest aircraft - you know how it is when you've been in the forces - but I've never come across anything that can move quite like that!"
Reggie was on the edge of his seat, with his eyes wide open, and his jaw hanging down. The man however was emotionless, recording everything discreetly via a hidden tape recorder.
"It suddenly shot over the horizon, stopping just in front of me. It was hovering, as a brilliant light suddenly engulfed me and I felt myself floating upwards. The next thing I remember, I was in the police station!"
He was doing his best to play things down, feeling embarrassed about the whole incident.
"There, finished!"
Bob put his soldering iron down.
Reggie was anxious to hear the rest of his story, when a noise made them both turn around. It was Heather. She had removed her torn jumper, and her bloodstained skirt and was standing there in a white lab coats. She looked very attractive, especially since she had fixed her hair and make-up.
"That's better!"
Bob winked at her as she came over, carrying her things in a small plastic bag.
"They were kind enough to lend me this!"
She pointed to the lab coat before giving Bob a big hug.
"She rescued me the other night.”
The man looked at her curiously, as Bob continued.
“I can't imagine what would have happened to me, if she hadn’t come along when she did!"
He looked a little perplexed, and left the room leaving them alone for a few minutes.
"I'm sorry about all that business at the shop!"
Heather was still a bit shaken by it, and was glad they were behind the security fence at the Grange!
"I'll have to take you out and buy you something nice, to make up for it!"
She kissed him on the cheek appreciating the gesture, as she sat down next to him. Although Reggie quite liked her, he was more interested in the security equipment, but still managed a warm smile.
Bob only had the main control unit to attend to now, as one of the fuses had blown and some other wires had come adrift. He whistled softly to himself as he returned to the task, clearly contented with the way that things had worked out. This reassured Heather, who was starting to relax.
Reggie was waiting for the big switch on, as he wanted to nose around the Grange. School was rife with rumours about the place too, and he could not wait to tell his friends that he had actually been inside. Fortunately he did not have to wait for long, as his uncle soon finished soldering, and returned from behind the monitors.
Bob could see the look of anticipation on his nephew’s face, and smiled to himself as he waited patiently.
"Would you like to do the honours, Reggie?"
He did not need asking twice, and threw the mains switch with relish, bringing the whole system to life.
There were six monitors positioned along the work surface, and when they warmed up, Reggie was able to see the whole of the Grange for the first time. It was quite an impressive building, complete with ornate brickwork, and sculptured columns. It even had ivy growing up the walls, and it was a real treat to see it up close like this.
The pictures began to alternate, as Bob adjusted the system. Reggie could now see the man in the pinstripe suit. He was crossing the car park with two very large soldiers in full uniform.
The door suddenly opened, as they all walked in. Reggie looked round to see the man in the suit pull a revolver out of a holster concealed under his jacket. He cocked the trigger and pointed it at them!
Four
Reggie looked at Heather, who in turn looked at Bob. Nobody said a word as the man continued to point his gun. There was nothing any of them could do, as he gestured for them to get up, and they all moved slowly towards the door. He had a determined look on his face as he forced them down a beautifully oak panelled hallway, to where a series of doors led off in all directions. Reggie and Heather were ushered into the one on the left, whilst Bob was led towards the one o
n the right. Before they could say anything, Bob disappear behind the door, as one of the soldiers stood guard outside.
Reggie felt a hand on his arm as he was escorted into an office, which looked as though it used to be the drawing room. There was a large desk in the centre, with a row of green filing cabinets nearby.
“Please hand over you mobile telephones.”
Heather gave the man an indignant look as she reached into her handbag. Reggie reached into his pocket, as they both handed them over. They were then ushered away from the doorway and Heather took his hand, as they both watched the large oak door closing behind them.
Bob felt equally as baffled, as he was led into a room packed full of equipment. It looked nothing like a weather station, and resembled something akin to a laboratory. The man forced him into a chair, before placed his revolver back in its holster, much to Bob's relief.
He then pulled out an expensive looking mobile telephone from an inside pocket, tapping on the screen as he spoke.
"Now then, I want you to go over your story again in greater detail!"
Bob took a deep breath. The gun had worried him, and even though the man had put it away, he was concerned in case he decided to use it. So, he went back over everything, as the man recorded all that he said.
Meanwhile in the other room, Reggie was getting worried.
"What do we do now?"
He was hoping that Heather would have an idea, but she just shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't know. Perhaps we'd better just sit here for a while, as they may release us later!"
Although Reggie wanted to do something, it seemed the logical thing to do; after all, they had just left a man