Polly Pippin and The Tunnel of Death (21 page)

'Now, can we look in the black basket?'
Lucy, the cheekiest girl ever, said.

'Yes, yes,' said India as she excitedly
clapped her hands.

Xavier Goes Home

'I'm here to see Commander Rhettnor at his
request,' Xavier said, as he strode into the meeting hall.

The Freeflyer saluted. 'Sorry, sir, he left
about ten minutes ago for an emergency.'

'An emergency? What emergency? And do you
know what it was?'

'No Sir, sorry Sir.'

'Who's in command?

'I am.' Selim walked up to his uncle.

'Selim, I can't believe it! You're here.'
Xavier hugged him. 'I heard you'd been captured.'

'It's a long story, and I would love to tell
you when we have time. Right now, we are in the biggest mess. Half
our most important UFOs are missing and could be in mortal danger.
Sreip seems to have lost the plot, and I have no idea where
Commander Rhettnor is.'

'I was on my way to find some of the UFOs in
the Rebels' snow shack when Rhett called me in.'

'Did you know we have lost contact in
Byzantine Crescent? Everything is in such a bad way, I don't know
what to do first.' Selim looked as concerned as he felt.

'First, we trace Rhett. He is in control so
will have everything at his fingertips. He seems to think Event and
Salute are rogue Zens. When I saw them last, they denied it. They
said they were working undercover for the Lord High Commander, and
I believe them. I am worried if Rhett finds them before they can
tell them, he will send them to the outer limits.'

'Have you heard from Sreip?' Xavier
asked.

'No, and he thinks I've been captured and
probably de-pneumaed. Should we stay here and wait for news?'

For the first time in his life, Xavier had
no idea what to do.

'Why bother about the Earth, Selim? Why
don't we just round up all the Freeflyers and UFOs, get them back
here, and let the Earthbeings get on with it? They don't appreciate
what we are doing for them, I'm fed up to the teeth with them.'
Xavier sank into the nearest chair and put his head in his
hands.

'You don't mean that, Uncle.'

'You're bloody right, I don't mean it.'
Xavier laughed. 'I wanted to practice my acting skills. Come on sit
down next to me, call in the Elders, and let's make a plan.'

In the wink of an eye, the Elders and senior
Freeflyer warriors joined Xavier and Selim. They all agreed things
could not be worse. Country after Country had fallen, and anarchy
was rife throughout the world. The trouble was the Earthbeings
didn't even know they were being taken over. As far as they were
concerned, it was just the world evolving. They were playing right
into the Rebels' hands. It seemed to the Freeflyers, they were
fighting some of the Earthbeings, as well as Rebels

'Finding the missing Freeflyers and UFOs is
imperative,' stated Xavier. 'Who should we find first? '

Many names were shouted again and again. The
First Lord stood. 'Forget about them they could all be dead. We
have to put things in order of importance. We have to sacrifice the
earth to save the First Universe.'

'Quiet! Quiet!' Xavier yelled. 'We are
running around in circles. We cannot abandon the Earth we are far
too involved. And, as you all know, we have two monumental
weaknesses.'

The hall erupted. Xavier jumped up on the
leader's dais and again yelled, 'Quiet! Quiet! Do I have to remind
you the Rebels know of the Sacred Cave and Byzantine Crescent? They
also know they lead directly to us. We have to save the earth to
save our universe. We have to invade the Dark Universe.'

'And what about our UFOs?' Selim shouted.
'They are the most vulnerable.'

'Forget about them!' Xavier shouted. 'Call
in as many Freeflyers as you can, including Commander Rhettnor. We
have to invade the Dark Universe. '

'Wait, Xavier. Let's give it one more
chance. We have never deliberately drawn blood whether from
Freeflyers, UFOs, Earthbeings, animals or Rebels. Let's not start
now.' Selim was on a roll. 'Let's leave these men here to defend
the First Universe, and you and I take the lead to clear the Rebels
out of the Middle Universe.'

A cheer went up, and within a very short
time, all agreed the Freeflyer warriors would stay and defend the
First Universe. And with wishes of good luck, Xavier and Selim left
for the last stand to save the earth.

Good deeds rewarded

Piers woke, stretched and yawned. He was
warm and comfortable in a shack of sorts, and something smelled
familiar. He heard snuffling and small paws padding, and the next
thing a bear cub jumping on him.

'Daphne, it's you.' The little bear snuggled
into Piers neck as a shadow crossed him. It was the mother bear,
and standing behind her was an Icelander.

'I hear you saved my polar bear and her
young cub, young man.' The man who spoke looked old and wizened.
'If it weren't for you, both Elska and cub Kyssa would be dead.
Thank you, thank you with all my heart. But I'm sorry to tell you
one thing: You owe me too.'

Piers tried to sit up and between cracked
lips said. 'Sorry sir. What would that be?' He was polite and was
obviously worried what the old man was going to say.

A cheeky grin played round the old man's
lips. 'Well young man, that little devil Kyssa,' and he pointed to
the bear cub, 'keeps raiding my food cupboard and constantly begs
for porridge.' He laughed. 'So are you to blame? Did you feed her
porridge?' A crackly laugh broke through his lips.

'Yes Sir, I did.'

'Well, I am sure Elska will be eternally
grateful to you.'

'Thank you, Sir.'

'Call me Lord Girdur, Piers, and I would
imagine you would be very hungry.'

'Yes, I am starving. But how did you find
me, Sir?' Piers asked.

'That little bear followed his mother's
scent here and then led us back to you.'

'Sir… I mean Lord Girdur, I thought the
mother bear had died in the snow shack.'

Lord Girdur froze. 'You were in the snow
shack?'

'Yes with two others - Hamish Pippin and
Steve Smith.'

'What happened to them?' Lord Girdur was
making porridge as he questioned Piers.

'You won't believe it. We found a trap door
under the shack. Leading off were three tunnels. We didn't know
which one to go down, so we let little Kyssa choose, and she chose
the middle one. Steve went first, and Hamish followed. As I went to
follow, the entrances suddenly sealed over, and Kyssa and I were
left in the dark.'

'Why did you keep and look after the little
bear?'

'I felt responsible, and I promised her
mother.' The mother bear grunted her thanks.

As they ate the porridge, Lord Girdur told
Piers, 'The mother bear had gone into shock - sort of like
hibernation - so you would not have seen her breathing. When she
woke, she managed to get here and left the cub with you after
telling her to lead you here.'

Piers was safe but could not rest. He was
worried, somehow he had to rescue Hamish and Steve. 'I have to go
back and find my friends.'

'I think you are probably too late to save
them,' Lord Girdur said. 'And as soon as you are feeling better, we
have to get you as far away from here as we can.'

'Why?' asked Piers.

'Because evil abounds.'

'What do you know about that shack?' Piers
was now even more worried about Hamish and Steve.

The old mad put his pipe in his mouth and
sucked on it hard. 'Folklore round here says it's the doorway to
hell. The devil comes out on certain days to claim more
victims.'

'I have to go back,' he said. 'I have no
choice. I have to find Hamish and Steve.' He tried to get up but
fell back exhausted and slept like the dead.

Home truths

Commander Pope walked into the Great Hall of
the Dark Universe. The battle they had been fighting for Earth
would soon be over. They had just about won.

'My noble warriors, the end is near. It's so
near, I can taste it.'

Cheers rang round the hall. The Commander
took the glass of raw wine and lifted it high in the air. 'Let us
drink to our inevitable success.' And with glasses held high, all
the Rebels present drained the contents of the glasses and threw
them over their shoulders.

The Commander left the hall and went to the
ten-dimension relay hut. He unlocked the door and went in. When the
Freeflyers know we are winning, they will run back to the First
Universe with their tails between their legs, he thought.

The computers welcomed the Commander. He
pressed the seek and find button.

'Commander?' a tinny voice said.

'The snow shack.'

The linked techno-eye opened, blinked and
emerged in the cavern, it flew upward and circled the shack, and
Pope was surprised to find it empty.

'Check the tunnels,' Pope said desperately.
And the techno-eye swung to the back of the shack and slid back
through the floorboards into an empty cavern.

'Is the Tunnel of Death open?'

The techno-eye answered in the negative.

'Did any Earthbeings or UFOs go into any of
the tunnels?'

The techno-eye answered in the affirmative.
'Yes, sir, the middle tunnel - the Tunnel of Death.'

'The Tunnel of Death? Do you know who?'

'No, sir.'

'Search for any Earthbeings or UFOs in the
immediate area. Do not approach, keep in view and report back,'
Pope ordered.

'Sir,' said the staccato voice. 'Is that
all, Commander?'

'No. Find Piers and Hamish.'

'And the other Earthbeing Steve Smith?'

'He's not important. If you find him
de-pneuma him.'

'Sir,' came back the techno-eye.

Commander Pope hated waiting and was
depressed. 'I think I will meet up with Rekrap, he's always good
for a laugh - mostly at him.' He chuckled.

He walked out of the relay hut. It was no
surprise to him that he was depressed; he was always depressed when
he was in the Dark Universe. He was really over it. A chalet in the
south of France or in the hills behind Barcelona would suit him
fine. He also had a vested interest in earth, although it was a
long time since he'd been a Freeflyer. He'd fallen out with the
bolshie Xavier and very nearly killed him. Then he had been exiled
from the First Universe for life. He became a rogue Zen and
eventually a fully inaugurated Rebel. He quickly rose through the
ranks and was now the Supreme Commander. He had total power - his
word was law. Lord Knightly knew his story, and so did
Rhettnor.

'They would never betray me, never,' he
said. 'They have as much to lose as I have. However, Event and
Salute have always been loose cannons, and that goes to my favour.
Well, I will deal with them pretty soon, they have to go.'

He got back to the hall. There was no one
there. 'It's empty just like my heart.' He felt like having a
little cry.

'Commander! Commander! Emergency!
Emergency!' A Rebel's voice played into his head wire. 'Go to the
relay hut. One of the techno-eyes is flashing black, something
catastrophic must have happened.'

The Commander raced back to the hut. The
techno-eye was pulsating.

'What? What's happened?'

'Two went down the Tunnel of Death, but it
closed before the third could follow. That was Piers Knightly. He
went out in the snow with a bear cub.'

'Is he still alive?'

'Still to discover, Sir.'

Alison is left behind

'Alison, grabbing at JB was not a good idea.
Had you lost your grip, we would never have found you.' Sreip was
not impressed.

'Sorry Sreip. I only wanted to help.'

'Well you might, but you don't know what the
Rebels will do. They would happily eat little girls like you. I've
a good mind to get JB to take you back home to your parents, and
tell on you.'

Alison threw her arms around him. 'Please
don't, Sreip. I'm sure I can help.'

Thinking it would frighten her, Sreip said.
'Well, we could use you as bait.'

But the idea fell flat, as Alison was keen
to do anything he asked.

'Well, luckily Fifi has found out where
Polly is, and if I send you to her, you have to make a promise.'
Sreip tried to look stern.

'Yes, of course. Anything.'

'Do not let anyone open the black basket, or
I will skin you all alive.'

'Of course, Sreip,' Alison said. And whoosh!
she was gone.

'Where have you sent her, sir?' said JB.

'Back to Byzantine Crescent's cottage. I
just got word from Fifi she’s sniffed Polly out. So now down to
business. Let's find those missing UFOs.'

'Any idea where to head first, sir?'

'To find Rekrap. Capturing him will lead us
to all of our missing UFOs.'

'If you can make him talk, sir.'

'JB, even Fifi could make him talk.'

~

If Polly was confused, Alison was miffed.
They both woke at the same time in the cottage, and Fifi was
sleeping peacefully on the end of Polly's bed. Coffee was happily
bubbling away on the stove, and the Liddles were dancing around,
happy the girls were back and safe.

'Polly, I have to tell the girls not to open
the black basket.'

'Why?'

'Well, Sreip said it was crucial we do not
open it.'

'Why do we have to do what he says?' a
belligerent Polly replied.

'Because he is always right Polly. And don't
be so rude.'

'Ali, the first thing I'm going to do when I
get back in the house is to not only open the basket, I am going to
turn it over and shake its contents out.'

'Polly, you are acting like a spoilt brat.
And after Lord Knightly was so nice. He said he had a surprise for
us, and I don't think it was Gypsy Zola.'

'Sorry, Ali, I don't know what's got over me
recently. I don't feel myself. I just want to be mean all the time.
Is it because Piers is missing?'