Chapter 12: Army Dreamers

I regarded the weapons aimed at me and raised an eyebrow. "Captain Wallander? You are pointing your pistol at a senior officer; do you have an explanation for this?" I said.

There was a moment's hesitation before the Captain spoke, "I have no knowledge of your position in the Army, at this moment you are in my head quarters during an active campaign. You are my prisoner." He said.

"I'm also in the uniform of a Major, Captain. What you are doing is regarded as mutiny. Do you have any reason for this ... one that a court martial would believe?" I said maintaining the air of superiority.

"I have already stated my reasons. You are not known to me and so I do not believe you are an officer." He said.

"Really? Well there is one way I can prove this ... if you will allow me to remove my identity card from my pockets?" I said indicating the breast pocket into which I had inserted my warrant card from Colonel Marlow.

"No. Sergeant, if you would check this man's pockets. Take care not to get between him and us." Wallander said. I held myself still as the Sergeant approached.

"If you'll pardon me, sir." He said as he reached to check my pockets, he first removed the pistol from the holster – actually I was glad he did that, I never did like firearms – and placed it on the table behind him.

Wallander picked it up and looked at it, "Well that is army issue." He stated, his voice sounding faintly worried.

The Sergeant then went to the pocket I indicated and removed the I.D. card that was there, he then went to the tunic pockets and found my phone. "Handle that with care Sergeant, it's Military Intelligence Issue and I'm not too sure what will happen if I'm not the one opening it." I said.

Wallander picked up the phone and examined it, "It doesn't resemble the standard issue." He commented.

"No, it's a special issue, only a few of them are available." I said realising that I had amalgamated it with my phone. Wallander went to open the clam-shell face. "I really wouldn't do that." I said.

"I'm authorised to handle such things." Wallander said and lifted the lid.

"Scan shows unauthorised use of this phone. Identify yourself and reason for using." The voice issued from the handset.

Wallander frowned, "This is Captain Wallander attached to Home Security. I have security clearance." He said.

Then a man's voice came on the line. "Captain Wallander, why do you have that particular phone, where are you?" I heard Colonel Marlow voice now.

"Who are you? I don't recognise your voice." Wallander said but then one of his men said something into his ear. "I'm sorry Colonel. I'm at ... Hall, I was informed that it had been taken over by terrorists." He said and waved his hands to the troops holding their guns at me, they lowered their weapons.

"That location is now our alternative research offices; it's under the control of Major Beaker, whose phone you are using. Obviously he is there and I demand to speak to him." Colonel Marlow ordered, sulkily Wallander handed the phone to me.

"Beaker." I said and the phone bleeped to acknowledge it was me; the output was changed to the earpiece.

"Major, just what has happened?" Marlow asked.

"The house is secure, we managed to erect the shield to prevent any access, none of my people are hurt and we are surrounded by Captain Wallander's men, I request permission to test out the equipment that we have to hand?" I said

I could hear the smile in Marlow's voice, "I think that would be an excellent idea, we need to know just what you can do when pressed." He said, I handed the phone back to Wallander.

"Sir ... Sir?" The tone was questioning as he hadn't understood the order, "Yessir, I understand, what restrictions? ... you realise we have live ammo only, no dummy rounds?" He was starting to look worried. "Very well Colonel, as you say." He handed the phone back to me.

"Major you understand that we don't want any of our men hurt in this exercise?" Marlow said.

"Of course Colonel, I'll see to it that. But should anything happen we'll take care of it." I said and closed the link. I looked up at Captain Wallander. "So Captain, are you satisfied that I am whom I say I am?" I said to him holding my hand out for my I.D.

Wallander stood to attention and saluted, "Yes sir, I apologise for the mix-up, sir." He said.

I returned the salute, "You were the victim of false information that was all, but you heard Colonel Marlow shall we carry on with the assault on the house?" I said and called to a Nemesis unit. "Connect me to Shifu please." I said

"Major Beaker I can hear you." Shifu voice came from the invisibly circling Nemesis units.

"We can defend ourselves from the incoming forces; try to avoid injuries where possible. I suggest the use of imagery and effects before removing the weapons and causing unconsciousness." I said to him seeing the faces of those with me.

Shifu laughed, "As you request Major, when do we start?" He asked.

I looked at Wallander, "At your discretion Shifu, let them make the first move." I said and, finding a seat, I used it.

Wallander looked at me, "Aren't you going to be in the house with your people?" He asked me.

I shook my head, "No, you see they have to know they can defend themselves without me. I'll just be here to accept your surrender." I said and with a muttered phrase created several screens which showed the action outside.

Lieutenant May was worried; he could feel something watching him as he approached the house, he looked around noting where his men were concealing themselves in the bushes just before the expanse of grass.

He had noticed flashing lights that seemed to hover in places before zipping away; he wasn't sure if they were real or just his imagination, but after his many years of Army life he wasn't going to mention them.

"Okay then, over there is the target, we don't know what ordinance they have but we're going to think they're not using paint-ball guns. Sergeants fan the men out and use whatever cover we can. I'll take Charlie group and we'll try for the main doors." He said looking at the group around him.

The Sergeants nodded and moved off to their sections, immediately there was a report of a figure in the grounds, he was dressed as a soldier and was carrying a flame-thrower. Some of May's troops fired at the figure, except he lowered the weapon and just laughed at them before vanishing.

The puzzled troops looked at each other before another man appeared he waved his arms and then vanished, then a six-foot tall teddy bear appeared and walked towards the troops. "Boo" it said before it too vanished.

"They're using hallucinogenic gas, ignore what you see." A Sergeant said, but he wasn't too sure about this either, beside him a man now stood, wearing pyjamas and a dressing gown.

"Excuse me but have you seen Ford Prefect? He's an alien you know." The man said and then he too vanish making the Sergeant spin around and aiming his rifle at his own men.

"Sergeant, ignore them, the main target is over there!" May said as he checked his weapon, for some reason he knew that the images couldn't hurt any of his men. But when he looked to the statues sitting on the grass it seemed to him that they were watching him?

He reached for his radio, "H.Q. Lieutenant May here, request ATR's to take out the statues. They may be rigged." He said.

There was a pause and then the reply came back. "Can't do that Lieutenant ... somehow the ordinance is missing, all we have is what you're carrying. Anyway we're to avoid too much damage."

"Say again H.Q.? We're not to cause damage? Whose cock-eyed order is that? Look H.Q. I think those statues are ... I mean they appear to be ... H.Q. I want them removed." He said not knowing what he felt about them.

"Negative Lieutenant, leave them alone. But look out for anything strange, it seems this place is developing exotic weapons." The voice said with a finality brooking no argument.

Lieutenant May shook his head, "Guns to the left of them. Guns to the right of them. Into the valley of death rode the 600." He misquoted and then gave the signal to advance.

Back in the headquarters I hadn't reacted when the Lieutenant's request came in, I was glad to hear the answer because I didn't want the place wrecked. I looked at Captain Wallander. "Who is this Lieutenant?"

"Just joined us, he's been having problems on his last deployment, to be honest I'm not sure what to make of him? There is something ... he seems to have an uncanny knack of landing on his feet, almost as if he knew something was going to happen." Wallander said and his unease could be almost felt.

"Well I'm looking for an adjutant to take over the paperwork; I'm more a researcher in this place and can't be bothered to fill out every form. Would he consider a move to here?" I asked.

Wallander rubbed his chin, "I don't know I'd have to see how he feels about such a thing. I mean I could order him to move..."

I shook my head, "Please don't do that Captain. I'd much rather have a volunteer than someone press-ganged into this." I said but I did want the man, he noticed that things that weren't right.

Lieutenant May crept closer to the statue of a lion, using the base as cover. "Oh obscurum!" he said under his breath – and in the Head Quarters a screen went blank.

Somehow May sensed that it was now clear to approach but he stopped a few yards away from the house and raised his hand feeling the shield blocking his advance. "Sergeant keep away from the house, there's something in the way." He said.

"Begging your pardon sir, but I can't see anything." One man questioned and then gave a squawk as one of the Nemesis fired at him, there was the report of a shot as his finger pulled on the trigger of his rifle, and another man gave a screech as the bullet went through his leg.

"Medic" The cry went up.

May looked around at his men, "Stay here." He ordered and went to where the injured man lay. He checked the man's leg and saw the blood flowing out of the wound, he realised that it had broken the artery, if left the man would soon die.

"Sod it." He said and looked around, the members of the troop were surrounding him and but it couldn't be helped. He took hold of the leg, placing a tourniquet above the leg and then placed his hands near the wound.

Muttering under his breath he concentrated on the wound, feeling the blood vessel knit together, getting it nearly right, he loosen the tourniquet and then despaired as the vein broke apart from the force of the flow.

"I'm going to lose him." He said out loud.

"No, you're not. Not yet at least. Let me see to him." A woman said as she appeared beside May. "Ah, yes I see. Now follow what I do." She retightened the tourniquet and then muttered, pulling the flesh to create the damaged artery. A few more mutterings and then she pulled back.

"I need to have him taken to the house." She said.

May shook his head, "I'm sorry madam, but that's impossible. We have to take that property and so you cannot approach it!" He said with a finality that brooked no response.

She smiled, "That won't stop me." She said and she placed her hands on the soldier's body and they both vanished.

"What the..." May looked around but couldn't see anyone except for the lights that flashed around. He pulled out his pistol and took aim at one of the lights; except there was a 'phttt' and then everything went black.

I watched the screen as the men surrounding the house; the Nemesis units had started to tranquillize the troops. When the last one fell I turned to Wallander. "Captain Wallander, I will accept your surrender now." I said.

Wallander looked at the screens showing the unconscious men, then at the Nemesis unit that had appeared beside me. "Just what is that thing? How did you make it?" He asked pointing to the glowing object.

"That is what we're making here, automatous units that are able to render an enemy unconscious without endangering our own troops. At the moment they are used as security units while we evaluate their ability." I said and noticed the light give an angry pulse. I turned to it and winked.

"I see, very well Major, I concede." He said and pulled out his pistol to hand it to me butt first.

"You'd better keep hold of that Captain." I said and then addressed the Nemesis unit. "Shifu, remove the shield and everything back to normal." I said.

"It will be done as you have ordered, Major." Shifu said and then I turned to the Captain.

"Will you come with me Captain; you're going to want to know how your man is." I said touching him on his shoulder and concentrating. We vanished from the Head Quarters and reappeared in my office; Shifu was getting up from my chair and bowed.

"Welcome to the school Captain Wallander." He said.

Wallander didn't answer but went to the window. "We're in the house? But how can this be? I mean we were out there" He asked

I nodded to Shifu who then left, leaving me with the Captain. "Tell me Captain, do you believe in magic?" I asked him.

"Magic? No, I've seen hocus-pocus and mummery, but real magic? I'm sorry but no." he said

I nodded, "And there is the problem. You see I am, was I suppose, a computer programmer..." And I went on to explain about Sar'ha and how I came to be working in the house.

By this time Wallander had sat down. I took pity on him and poured a shot of whiskey into a tumbler. "But that's astounding ... but why have you told me this?" He asked.

"To let you know that there wasn't any way you could have stopped me, I'm not trying to boast, but what I've created is more than enough to bring down a battalion. I have to admit I'm not sure what the shield would do against a tank ... but I think it would withstand the assault.

"You were outmatched and that was just from me, if the others here were allowed to attack, not just defend with diversions, then the injuries would be more serious and the number of missing ... well after a fire-ball attack there is nothing left." I said showing off and creating a fireball in my hand.