The Last Avengers Story, Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen: "We're needed"

PRESENT DAY

GERMANY

Mike Gambit and his wife Purdey sat around the table in their hotel suite, pouring over the material they had brought with them to discuss the bid for the Alternities contract. They needed this job - it would not break the firm if they lost the contract but it would very likely drop them out of contention for similar jobs in the future.

They'd had a day of productive talks yesterday...without the key decision maker, who would be at the meeting the next day. It was they whom they truly had to impress.

Mike was in short sleeves, unself-conscious of his prosthetic right arm. He sipped tea, then looked at his watch.

"Almost time for the BBC news, Purdey."

Purdey picked up the remote control and turned on the television. Most of the channels were in German, of course - which both she and Gambit understood - but there was also the BBC news channel and it was to this she turned.

She went back to her studying, occasionally tapping some information into her laptop computer, when the name Tibet-By-The-Sea caught her attention. Her head lifted in unison with Mike's and they looked at the screen in shock.

... this morning," the presenter said.

"Tibet-By -The-Sea is home to a naval base, and that entire base seems in the thrall of some kind of sleeping disease...everyone on the base from Naval personnel to civilians has been found fast asleep.

Today was the day that the HMS Triton was supposed to head to sea for its sea trials, and it did, so apparently the crew aboard ship were not affected.

And in other local news, an entire coach party of old-age pensioners from the Mulberry Luxury Retirement Center have gone missing! Their transport has been found at the naval base, but they themselves haven't been seen."

Very quietly, Purdey reached out and turned off the TV. She turned to look at Mike.

"It doesn't necessarily mean anything," she said. "Steed might not have gone to the naval base. He might be safe and sound in his flat right this minute, playing bridge with Mrs. Peel and the rest of them."

Gambit opened up his cell-phone. He'd put in the chip for Germany as soon as they'd arrived, so it fired to life immediately and he speed-dialed Steed's number. It rang and rang until he got Steed's answer phone.

"No reply," he told Purdey. He cut the connection and then dialed Emma Peel's number in London. Again...the phone buzzed and buzzed. "No reply."

"He's on that ship, Mike." Purdey said quietly. "You know he is."

Gambit nodded. "Depend upon it. But Mrs. Peel, Mrs. Gale...Tara...they're probably with him."

Purdey nodded. "Probably. But..."

Gambit nodded again. "The more help...the better. We've got to go. Look up flights while I pack."

After a few minutes Purdey said, "We can get a flight to London in two hours. I've booked us already."

"Good." Gambit tossed in the last of his clothing - he was quite dexterous with that prosthetic arm and hand. "I'll call Alternaties. They're gone for the night, I have no doubt, but I'll leave a message on Herr Reinhardt's answer phone."

"What will you say?"

"Simply the truth. Some old friends needs our help."

Purdey nodded grimly. "I hope they don't. But we need to be there in case they do."

"Right. Let's go."

PRESENT DAY

FORT KNOX, KENTUCY USA

Cathy Gale curtsied to the sound of applause emanating from the audience and walked off stage, flushed with pleasure. There was nothing like that feeling, she thought to herself. She'd given pleasure to a few hundred people and they showed their appreciation with enthusiastic clapping. It was as heady a drug as liquor.

Another curtain call, this time with the entire cast.

Then the audience began filing out of the auditorium and the actors retreated to their dressing rooms. Since this was a charity operation all the women shared one dressing room, the men the other.

An hour later Cathy was back at her sister's house, relaxing on the sofa with a drink, watching the news. Patrice sat opposite her, idly paging through a copy of Private Pilot. Patrice had led a group of stunt pilots in her early years - now she operated an airfield and flew charters.

"Just in time for BBC World News," Cathy murmured, sipping her drink appreciatively. "I wonder what new crisis the world finds itself in today..."

"Same old, same old," Patrice said dismissively. The world goes on and the problems remain the same.

But on this occasion, the news was a bit different:

It was the same clip, had Cathy Gale but known it, that had aired an hour earlier in Germany and in Canada.

Cathy didn't even bother to call Steed's number. She knew he'd be on that ship. Of course he'd be on it.

"Patrice," Cathy looked at her sister. "How fast can you get me to London?"

Patrice glanced at the screen. She knew that Cathy's old friend John Steed lived at Tibet-On-The-Sea, and she knew her sister. "I've got a pretty fast jetr - the Auric. I can have it fueled and ready to go in an hour. File our flight plan and we'll be away."

"Right. I'll start packing."