Chapter 2

Chorley, Lancashire. April, the following year.

“Look at that,” muttered Bill Sharples to his companion, nodding towards the large ‘Earth First - Truth And Freedom Party’ banner on the side of a taxi. They were walking as briskly as their age allowed them along Chorley High Street. It was an unexpectedly warm and sunny Saturday in early April, so the road was a little busier than expected, with extra shoppers and traffic. The following weekend would be Easter weekend, and all the signs and advertising were up, though far more muted than in the past. It looked as if the people around them felt even Easter and the nice sunny day couldn’t cheer them up.

Ted Eckersall looked and nodded. “Arseholes,” he muttered.

“Less worth to the human race than the bacteria in my anal passage.” Bill spoke louder than he intended and there was a muffled snort behind them.

Both men turned to see a young woman, probably in her late teens or early twenties, following behind them. She had her eyes to the ground and her lower lip between her teeth as she desperately tried to hold on to her laughter.

“Sorry miss,” muttered Bill. The young girl raised her eyes and both men saw a twinkle of mischief and humour in them.

“Not sure I’d have said it quite like that,” she whispered with a laugh as she hurried past them. Within moments she’d gone.

“Pipe down,” hissed Ted. “You know how many supporters Truth And Freedom have now. It’s dangerous to speak against them.”

“Fucking thought police now,” muttered Bill, nodding in apology.

Neither man looked at the four brown-shirted thugs swaggering along the pavement in their general direction. They were unarmed, but the only thing that made them differ from Ernst Röhm’s SA thugs in 1930s Germany was the lack of a swastika. Both men crossed the road; neither Ted nor Bill needed a confrontation now, though as it happened the thugs weren’t looking their way. Instead they were looking at a pretty young mother with her two young children. As people watched, they surrounded her and began to make lewd and crude suggestions.

From across the street, neither man heard her reply, but one of the thugs slapped her hard across the face and she cried out in pain. When people started to protest their actions, the situation got rapidly ugly, but before it could get totally out of hand, there was a shout from up the street.

“Fucking Nazis,” came the shout. “Piss off back where you came from. Get back to your sewer.”

There was a hint of laughter from the watchers as the four thugs began to force their way through the rapidly disappearing crowd towards where the shout had come from. From the corner, Ted could see the four of them casting about for their tormenter. They looked angry, and then even angrier when they saw that the young mother had vanished.

This was probably the most serious of the half dozen incidents that happened that day, and while it was true to say that they were still few and far between, they were getting nastier and more frequent. So far though, no one had publicly spoken out, and it didn’t look like that was about to change soon.

Ten minutes later the two men reached their destination, a small hall attached to the side of a local gym. Slipping inside, they greeted the three other occupants with smiles and quiet hellos. Officially it was a drop in centre for older, single men to chat and meet friends over a tea or coffee. Unofficially, those self same older men, many of them not in fact single, had taken it over for a few hours a week, and had turned it into a nice little home away from family.

“Has anyone seen Tommy recently?” asked Bill. “I don’t remember seeing him in over two months, and I was getting a bit worried.”

“He was diagnosed with angina a few months ago,” said one of the original three. “His missus won’t let him out.”

Bill nodded and sat, dragging out his wallet. Within moments a deck of cards had appeared, and the five men, all friends for many years, began their weekly poker session. Strictly it wasn’t allowed, but no one had ever stopped them.

It was three more weeks before there was any fallout from Bill’s impolitic comment. Once more they were on their way to their poker session, but being a bit earlier, they were not in quite such an urgency. The day was cooler, with a hint of rain in the air, so they were not dawdling either. Ted spotted her first. The young woman who had heard their comment three weeks earlier was staring at them intently, as if trying to decide whether she recognised them or not.

“Oh shit,” muttered Ted.

“Huh?”

“Trouble.”

“Where?”

“Coming towards us.”

“Oh.” Now Bill had spotted her.

“Gents,” came the soft voice.

“Miss,” replied Bill as the two men separated to step around her. She turned to follow them.

“I need your help. Do you mind?”

Ted looked severely at her, “Us? What could two seventy-year-olds possibly do to help you?”

“It’s more a case of what I can do for you.”

“And what makes you think we need help?”

“I don’t suppose you do. Will you stop? Please? This is important.”

“Why?”

“I know who you are.”

The two men stopped and stared at her. “What is that supposed to mean?” growled Bill.

“Look,” whispered the young woman desperately. “This is more important than you can possibly imagine.”

“Why?” asked Bill again.

“I know from what you said the other week that you don’t like this new Nazi party, and I know you are both ex-army. You were both KOYLI, we need that.”

Both men started in surprise at that statement. “We’re not soldiers any more.” Ted’s reply was softer and less aggressive now.

“No. But you probably remember some of your basic training. You can be useful to us.”

“What makes you think we were KOYLI? That regiment disappeared a long time ago. Merged into another regiment back in the seventies I think. Before we joined the army, if I remember my history correctly.” Bill was doing all the talking now while Ted watched them both, at the same time keeping an eye on their surroundings. He was the first to spot the TaF patrol heading in their general direction.

“Alert,” he muttered. “My left, fifty yards.”

The young woman tensed, and started to turn. “Don’t look at them, look at me,” hissed Bill. “Pretend I’m your grandfather, give me a quick hug, wish me happy birthday or something, then piss off up the hill.”

Her expression changed to a broad grin, and she gave Bill a hug, whispering, “I’m Sophie by the way,” into his ear.

“Bye gran’dad, see you soon,” she called as she hurried off. About ten yards up the hill, she turned and called out, “and happy birthday, I’ll tell Mum I saw you.” With a wave she was gone.

The TaF patrol strolled past them, one of the thugs giving the two old men a supercilious stare. The older men pointedly ignored them and carried on down the hill.

“What on Earth made her think we were KOYLI?” asked Ted is surprise. “You weren’t KOYLI before, were you?”

“Fuck knows why. But I think I know who she is. Or rather, what she is. I think we should talk to the lads. Better make sure she’s not following us though.”

The poker session that day was late starting. Instead the five men sat and talked for a while.

“Was anyone here in the KOYLI?” asked Bill.

“Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry?” murmured another man, Jimmy Todd. “Merged in with the Light Infantry in 1968.” Jimmy was a walking history book on the regiments, and their histories, of the British army.

All the men shook their heads.

“Why?” asked Jimmy.

“We were accosted by a young woman who thinks we were KOYLI. I think she’s either some sort of TaF spy and agitator, or more likely some sort of opposition that thinks it needs to get ready to fight them. I’ve heard a couple of odd rumours recently, of an underground movement opposing the Earth First in general and the TaF in particular.”

“Why’d she accost you Billy?” laughed the fourth man, the oldest of the five at seventy-five. He was a thin, wiry man, and the only one of the five to have never married. Despite that, he’d still managed to acquire a daughter he rarely saw, but doted on. “You been chatting up the ladies again?”

There was a general ripple of amusement, but Bill knew Harry’s question was valid. “She overheard me make an incautious remark about the Truth and Freedom party a few weeks ago, and it stuck in her mind. I’m guessing that’s why.”

“What’d you say?” asked Harry.

Bill shrugged. “Can’t remember. Something about my arse probably.”

All five men laughed.

“So what did she want?” persisted Jimmy.

“And was she good looking?” asked Harry.

“Fuck off Harry,” said Bill good naturedly, “she’s my grand-daughter’s age.”

Harry gave a wry grin and a shrug. “Can’t blame a man for asking.”

“In your case maybe we should,” laughed Ted, as Bill turned to Jimmy.

“She didn’t really get the chance to say much, one of the thug patrols came along and she scarpered.”

“She did mention something about basic training, and it being useful to them,” added Ted.

The fifth man present, who until now hadn’t spoken, stirred. All the other four immediately looked to him with both affection and respect. “Basic Training? Hmm. Sounds like she’s trying to train up some nellies to fight someone. Need to know who and what.” He paused for a moment in thought. “Ted, can you and Bill handle that? Find out as much as you can, without giving anything back, and without making any promises?”

“Yes Joe, no problems,” Ted nodded.

“Good. Jimmy. You seem to know a few more of the low-lives around here than is generally considered healthy. Have a nose around and see what you can find out. Let’s see what sort of support she may or may not have. As well as what sort of opposition. Harry? Is your son-in-law still a copper?”

Harry nodded. “He’s a detective sergeant in Bolton. That’s only twelve miles but it’s a different borough and patch. I can ask and see what he knows, and whether he has any contacts locally.”

Joe just nodded. “Okay, well it’s a bit of a long shot I suppose, but see what you can find out.”

“I’ve got a contact on the south coast,” said Jimmy. “Want me to contact him and see what’s happening in and around Portsmouth?”

“Portsmouth? Naval dockyard? Hmm.” Joe paused, considering, then shook his head. “Two-hundred miles or more. Outside my range.” He laughed and indicated the stump of his leg. “Now. Some bastard took twenty-five quid off me last week, I want it back.”

They all smiled and the poker session got underway. It was slower than normal as all five were thinking about this new development, and wondering what it might lead to. Joe didn’t get his twenty-five pounds back, not that day anyway.

Four hours after sending her off, Ted and Bill were sitting on one of the street benches at the top end of town, in the general direction they’d sent Sophie earlier. They were idly chatting, mostly about the poker, but they were also keeping a keen eye on the proceedings around them, without in any way appearing to do so. Neither of them particularly liked what they saw. Some people were afraid, but others, and here both Bill and Ted saw that it appeared to be exclusively small groups of young white males, were strutting around like they owned the place. Typical skin-head youths, mostly of the NED variety: Non Educated Delinquents.

“Here she comes,” said Bill after they’d been there nearly twenty minutes. Ted just nodded but didn’t turn to look at the young woman as she approached them. When she was almost on them, the two men separated on the bench so that if she wanted to sit she would have to sit between them. In this way it forced her to split her attention, while they could both look at her, and yet also still maintain a watch all around them. If she noticed what they had done she didn’t acknowledge it.

“May I join you?” she asked softly.

Ted just nodded and indicated for her to sit.

“Look. As I said earlier. We need people like you. We have two other men who used to be in the Para’s helping, but neither is very fit, so we thought we’d try and find a few more people who could also help out.”

“What made you think we would be able to help?” asked Bill.

“Well I know you were in the KOYLI.”

“No we weren’t,” said Ted abruptly.

Sophie stopped and turned to Ted, her mouth open, her eyes wide with shock. “You weren’t?”

“No. Who told you we were?”

She turned back to Bill, who had asked the question. “No one. I just assumed. You went into that old KOYLI place near the market. No one goes in there apart from ex KOYLI people, I thought.”

“Never assume,” Bill told her shortly.

“What place?” asked Ted, forcing the girl to turn once more.

“Near the market. Between the market and that old boxing gym.”

Ted looked surprised. “That was KOYLI? Since when?”

Bill suddenly clicked his fingers. “You know, I think it might have been. Years back though.” He looked at Sophie. “You ain’t old enough to have known that was a KOYLI hall. The KOYLI disappeared as a separate regiment many years ago. And this is Lancashire, not Yorkshire.”

She shrugged. “My dad’s always called it the KOYLI hall.”

“Who’s your dad?” asked Ted.

Sophie stood up suddenly, took a couple of paces away from them and then turned to glare down at them. “Stop that,” she hissed. She rubbed her neck. “I got whiplash from an accident late last year, and you two playing silly arses and forcing me to turn all the time is aggravating it. And me.”

“Sit down,” said Bill softly. “Just face forwards, or look at me.” He grinned. “After all, I am supposed to be your granddad.”

Sophie smiled slightly, and after a moment’s hesitation sat, this time facing Bill. “Sorry,” she said, “I’m nervous and I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to be doing.”

“You’re doing fine so far,” Ted assured her. “Just keep looking at your ‘grand-dad’, even when I’m talking to you.”

Bill nodded. “Now. You tell us what you think we can do for you, and tell us everything. We can’t help if we don’t know what you want. But you also mentioned your dad. Is he someone we might know?”

Sophie shrugged. “He’s not military, or ex-military, if that’s what you mean. He’s a local postman.”

“It was,” said Ted, sounding disappointed.

Bill just nodded. “Tell,” he commanded softly.

“First, I need to know. Are you, were you, soldiers?”

Bill looked over Sophie’s shoulder at Ted, who gave a slight nod.

“Yes.”

Sophie breathed a sigh of relief.

“Good. I’m so glad. Most of the people we’ve got don’t know the first thing about soldiering, but they want to do something. Anything.”

“In what way?” At the slight tensing of Sophie’s shoulders, Ted gave a soft laugh. “Sorry lass, I know it must be disconcerting talking to someone behind you, but it’s safer for all concerned this way.”

She nodded. “I suppose.” She paused. “Look. You’ve heard about the Confederacy. And this enemy that’s supposed to be coming. I’m worried that with the Earth Firsters, and especially the Truth and Freedom party, Britain, and the world, could end up in real trouble. Neil Conway wasn’t too bad, even if he was anti-Confederacy. But this new PM, Peter Lester, he’s a mindless idiot. He’s just unilaterally disbanded the House of Lords, and everyone knows he’s pushing through anti-Confederacy legislation. And the way Neil Conway went, there’s something decidedly fishy there. I want to do something, but I don’t really know what. A load of my friends...”

“How many?” interrupted Bill, before she could finish the sentence.

“About eighteen in all.”

“And how old?”

“All within a couple of years of my age.”

Ted laughed softly. “How old?”

Sophie gave a soft chuckle. “I thought you weren’t supposed to ask a lady her age?”

“I’m only teasing lass, but it would be useful-ish to know. Are you underage?”

She gave another soft laugh and shook her head slightly, then winced at a twinge of pain in her neck. “No. We’re all over eighteen. We’re all between twenty and twenty-three in fact.”

“Uh huh. Have any of you done any military training? Been in the Cadet Force?”

“No.”

“And who is it you’re wanting to fight? The TaF or the aliens?”

She gave Bill an anguished look. “I don’t know. I can’t fight the aliens because we’re not allowed off Earth any more, so I guess the TaF.”

“Did you ever take the CAP test when it was still possible?”

She nodded. “Got a seven point six.”

“Good for you. And your friends?”

“They all got six or better.”

“Is that why they’re your friends? Because they were all higher CAP scores?”

Sophie turned to look indignantly at Ted. “No. We were friends way before then, since high school. Before. And two of us are below that silly six point five cut-off, but we don’t care. My little brother has always been a bit of a lazy sod but he’s also incredibly intelligent. The only reason he’s not in MENSA is because he couldn’t be bothered to join. He’s in the top one percentile for intelligence. When he only got a six point two, he got so angry, no, not angry, wrong word, upset maybe? Annoyed? Certainly it irritated him like mad. Now he’s driven. Determined. Whatever. It galvanised him into doing things. He’s almost our leader now.”

“Only almost?”

“Well, he’s the youngest, and to be honest Martin thinks he should be in charge simply because he’s the oldest.”

Ted gave a spluttering laugh. “Because he’s male and the eldest?”

“Yes. He did get a seven point something.”

Bill glared at Ted, who shrugged unapologetically. “But less than yours?” Bill asked her with a smile.

Sophie nodded reluctantly.

“Did anyone get higher than you,” Bill started to ask, then stopped and waved his hands negatively. “No. Forget that. Not relevant. So there’s about twenty or so of you, all in your early twenties, and all wanting to learn to fight?”

She nodded.

“You realise that fighting means hurting and killing?” Bill asked her gently, staring intently into Sophie’s eyes.

Sophie’s face paled slightly, but she nodded again. “We’re scared. We want to do something, but we don’t know what or how. I just hoped you might be able to help us. I know you may not be able to do very much, but anything would help.”

“Hmm. Why did you run from them thugs?”

Sophie frowned. “I didn’t. You told me to leave.”

“So you’re not hiding from anyone? Or in trouble with the authorities?”

“Not to my knowledge, no.”

“Hmm. Do any of the others know you are talking to us?”

Sophie nodded. “I told them three weeks ago what happened, what you said, it made us all laugh, but at the time no one thought anything of it, other than that we weren’t alone in believing what we did.”

“What made you think ... oh, you said you saw where we went?”

“Last week. I spotted you almost accidentally. You were just coming out of the KOYLI hall, but I was on the bus at the time so I couldn’t do anything. That’s how I knew... , “ She broke off and smiled slightly. “That’s why I thought you were KOYLI. And yes, I do know what KOYLI stands for. I told Tim, my brother, and he suggested I try and find you and talk to you, see if you could maybe help.”

“Well, as we said, we’re not KOYLI, never were,” said Bill softly. “I was in the Royal Engineers,” he indicated Ted, “and I think he was in the Blues and Royals.”

“Yep,” said Ted simply.

“Oh.” Sophie couldn’t hide the deep disappointment in her voice. “I guess I sort of hoped,” she trailed off in despair. “I was hoping you were real soldiers, not engineers.”

Both men winced at her obvious ignorance. “Ouch,” muttered Bill.

“What?” asked Sophie. “Oh. Sorry. I didn’t mean it quite the way that sounded. I mean. You were real soldiers. But not the sort we need, I don’t think.”

“Actually,” Bill told her with a gentle laugh. “We may be exactly what you need.”

“Don’t worry,” said Ted softly. “All may not be as bad as it seems. You’ve got guts, something of an organisation, and the desire to do something. That’s a start.” Sophie turned to look at him, a glimmer of hope on her face. “Do you have any sort of weapon?” he asked.

She gave her head a single, slow, disappointed shake.

“That makes things harder, more awkward, hmm. And there’s no one older than that? Older than twenty-four I mean?”

“Only two ex-Para’s, but both are almost eighty, and mostly they just chat with us, and tell us tales. It’s all very interesting, but it isn’t what we want. Tim and Martin and Goss asked them if it was worth going and doing one of those paint ball games in the woods to get some training, but they just laughed.”

Ted smiled and shook his head. “I’m sure it’ll be fun, but it’ll teach you absolutely diddly-squat.”

“Oh. What do you suggest?”

“What are the names of these Paras?”

Sophie told him but the names meant nothing to either man.

“Let us think about it. We’re not going to give you our names, and we don’t want to know anything more about you or your friends. You’ve already told us more than is good for you. So instead we’ll teach you some very basic field-craft, right here, right now. This you do not pass on to anyone, you understand?”

She nodded.

“Okay. Do you have any chalk? Can you get any?”

“Um, probably.”

“Good. Do so as soon as possible. If you need to contact us, use the chalk to write a big question mark on the pavement by the side of the old post office on Tythebarn road. We’ll scrub it away when we’ve seen it, then meet you here, the following day, at about this time. If we want to meet you, we’ll do the same. You will not see anyone but us, and after today only one of us at a time. And you always come alone. Make sure you’re not followed. If you’re with someone, or someone is following you, we won’t appear. Got that?”

“This is all very secretive,” she smiled.

Ted nodded. “But very necessary if you want to stay alive when you’re fighting an underground war. Remember this is not a game. People are going to get hurt. Read up on the French resistance during World War Two. The Maquis. Read, learn, and understand. All of you.”

She nodded sombrely. “Okay. Thank you. I will.”

Ted gave her a small smile. “Now piss off and give us old codgers some peace and quiet.”

Sophie laughed and instinctively gave both men a hug before hurrying off.