Chapter 16: Sweet Dreams (are made of this)

It was a couple of days later when I was back inside my library with Shifu, Rose and Jarvis. We were gathered around the statis chamber that housed Sally Randall.

"Why did it take so long, she wasn't in that radiation chamber for much time." Jarvis said anxiously.

"There was more damage than we expected ... we also had another problem." I said not knowing how to breach the subject.

Jarvis' eyes narrowed, "Just what do you mean by that?" He said

"She had physical damage which had been poorly healed, her memory is all over the place, and there are ... gaps which the Nanites have been trying to restore using her memories to help her." I said.

Jarvis shook his head, "Hold on, Nanites? I thought those were supposed to work purely on the body, how can they deal with the mind?" He asked.

I sighed, "These are special spells I call them Nanites to try to get the idea across to you - in truth they are anti-Lethe spells." I said – The Lethe being the river of forgetfulness in one of the levels of Hades.

Jarvis frowned, "That's going to upset Rachael - she's not going to like the idea that what she's learning has been superseded by these spells."

I nodded, "That is true, but then her knowledge can be used in conjunction with the Nanites spells, they can improve on that and help teach her as well, think of a feedback loop." I said.

"I'll pretend I know what you're on about." Jarvis said as there was a hiss from the chamber. The lid started to roll back and there was a wave of mist.

Shifu looked at me, "Was that really necessary?" He asked me.

I suppressed a smile, "I don't know, it gave the right effect didn't it?" I said.

Rose leaned over the opened chamber and helped Sally to rise up. "Where am I?" She asked and then she added, "Did I really say that?"

Jarvis moved into view and held out his hand, "Hello Sally, how do you feel?" He asked.

She smiled and took it, "Hello George," She said and then her face dropped. "Oh shit, he knows who I am! He's known since I first arrived." She looked around at our faces and then she concentrated on me. "He's worried about you, and that's why he used me to lure you away from him." She said.

I nodded, "I know, but I couldn't let you die for nothing. I'm sorry I left it so long." I told her.

She looked around the library, "I used to dream of something like this ... but I lost it just after I started to work for HIM." We looked at each other in shock.

"You mean he took away your books?" I asked her and was relieved when she shook her head.

"No, he ordered me never to go back to my library again; he seemed scared that I had one." She said.

I nodded, "He would be, you were a threat to his power. He must have cast a control spell on you as soon as you entered his office, from that time onwards you were his puppet, you have had no control over anything since that time."

She shuddered, "If you knew what he..." She began and she started to tear up.

"You will have to make a report, at least now you understand what was done to you and how it was done ... I'm sorry but I had to allow you that memory as well." I said.

She quickly looked at me, "You know about it?" She asked

I shook my head, "Not the details, but I had to help the spells re-connect your memories as he had scrambled them too much. I had glimpses but I assure you that is all." I paused for a second and then said, "Sally, do we have your permission to enter your library?" I asked her.

She sighed, "I suppose so, but it might not be there as I haven't been there for some time." She said and Aristotle nodded his head, the library shivered and then we were inside a large room, on one wall was a mirror. "But ... this is the place I've dreamed of, I didn't know it really existed."

"It exists in your mind, you have the potential to be a mage and that is why Anderson stopped you from coming here, with these spells you could learn how to negate his control and to fight him. He didn't want that." I told her handing her a White book.

She opened it and shook her head, "I can't read it!" She said despondently and then continued, "None of the books here can be read."

I held her gaze, "So what do you have to do to read a foreign language?" I asked her and then added, "Or to hear a foreign tongue?"

She shook her head, "All I need is to translate the..." Her eyes widened as she saw the words in the book began to change and she started turning the pages. "Negate ... translate ... negate ... translate." She looked up at me and I nodded.

"Welcome to the British School of Magic, Apprentice Randall." I said and concentrating we moved from her library into my office at the House, Sally gave a cry as the book she had been holding wasn't with us.

"That's lucky; if you had managed to hold onto the book then you would start to lose your ability." I said. And then I looked at the others. "It seems that if books are removed then you cannot retrieve them and you lose the power to use them. The libraries define your power." I told them.

Shifu looked thoughtful, "So to defeat your opponent all you have to do is to enter his library and remove his books, if this is so then the fight against Anderson is simple. Burn his library."

I had to shake my head, "But it's not as simple, we cannot move that easily between libraries, unless we have permission..." I paused and looked at Aristotle who had travelled with us, "But when I was coming back from Zorba'n I was able to enter through Natalie's library, didn't that break the rules?"

He smiled, "Sar'ha had already said that you should be the tutor for Natalie, for that to occur you would have to have access to her library, and so you were given implied access and from that you had actual access. No rule was broken." He said calmly.

I continued to look at him and his smug expression, "You have to have an answer for everything, so how do we access Anderson's mind?"

His expression did not change, "Only when he gives you permission, that is the only criteria for your entry, and if you'll excuse me." He said and then vanished – somehow the last thing to disappear was his face and the smile that was on it.

Sally was looking open mouthed at the space, "But he was there, I'm sure he was."

Now I don't know how he managed to come into the real world, or what would happen to the Library of the World if he stayed out. For the best of reasons I didn't want to find out. "People do that a lot around here. Now Jarvis will let your superiors know that you are away from Anderson and that you'll be sending in a report, I'll get onto Colonel Marlow and recommend that you have time off to recuperate after you have completed your report." I said.

Sally nodded and then she shook her head. "He's planning to bring the whole country to a halt; the computers have been rigged so that when an e-mail is sent it will freeze everything until he gives the code word."

I called over a Nemesis unit and asked it to record everything Sally said. "Now Sally can you go through as much of his plan that you're aware of. And you'd better repeat what you've just told me. It will be recorded and sent to all those who need to know about it." I said,

Sally nodded her head and began speaking. "Marcus Anderson is planning to disrupt the computers controlling all major systems, rail, road, banking and commerce will be affected..." She carried on talking for over an hour detailing Anderson's planned actions and what he hoped the consequences would be.

In the meantime I began to create the Odin, Valkyrie and Loki spells that would be needed to take over and control any systems when called on. I had connected them to Nemesis units so that they could report back to a central point.

It was later that day, I was in my office and created a screen then I opened a contact to Colonel Marlow, he wasn't in his office but was in a large operations room, with him were several people from the different forces as well as the police, the Nemesis unit with him was connected to a main screen. "Major Beaker, what news do you have?" He asked.

"Marcus Anderson is going to take over the country; Officer Sally Randall is currently giving a verbal report which you will have a copy of shortly. His main way of eliminating potential enemies has been altered, I'm afraid that Cell 9 at Bath Police Station may soon be getting full, I couldn't stop his ... method," I knew that many of those listening in didn't know of the magic side of things, "but I could change the destination."

Marlow nodded, "Right, I'll get on to the police liaison about that, and we'll have military units there ready." A man behind him nodded and started talking on a telephone. Marlow turned back to me. "What form will the initial attack take?" He said.

"From what I can tell he'll be using his computer division to infiltrate major government and financial institutions' computer systems, I've already given Mr. Constantine clearance to command the Odin programmes, I'll need you to allow others the same authority, just name them and their base of operations and that will be enough." I knew that the Nemesis unit with the Colonel would pass the information onto the free moving Nemesis units who would then find and monitor those named.

Marlow turned to have a discussion with the people behind him and then he nodded, "That will be done, but how will we get the Odin system active?" He asked me.

I smiled and held up a memory stick, "When you give the word the program here will duplicate and go through the secure network to Central and from there out to the remote sites." I didn't mention that the stick I was holding was empty.

Again there was another discussion and this time I could see Marlow pointing to me on the screen and there was an argument in progress, finally Marlow turned back to the camera. "Major Beaker, you have a go." He said and I closed down the connection.

Interlude

In his office Anderson was gloating, "I've beaten him and he's dead by now, nobody can return from that!" He said sotto-voce, "It was a pity about Sally, but she would have been an obstacle later on."

He pressed a button on the intercom, "Yes, Mr. Anderson?" His new secretary responded quickly.

"Andrea I'd like a cup of tea, can you arrange that?" He said.

"Certainly, Mr. Anderson." Andrea said, Marcus liked Andrea – she didn't have the troublesome books stuck in her mind and he took control of her as soon as she entered the office.

He sat back in his chair and smiled, He would have to tell Perkins about this ... except he got rid of Perkins hadn't he, what a pity the scared man wouldn't have understood, he and his fear of magic.

Marcus picked up a phone and dialled a number, "Beacham? How are you progressing with the control program? ... I see ... well I want you to increase your efforts ... I don't care! Either you complete it on time or I'll have to take steps." He hung up the phone before anything more could be said.

Beacham was a problem, brilliant but still a problem. Well that would be something to work on later ... after the program was installed that was - it would also save a bit of money.

Marcus then went through his list of companies that he controlled, only a quarter of them were necessary, the others he'd inherited from 'clients' that failed to repay him. Oh they all earned money and so that was why they remained running.

He brought up the Perkins detective agency and deleted it from the list. It didn't matter, there were always other firms, not quite up to the standard that Marcus wanted ... but close enough. He was going to set up a network of agencies who would take over the policing of the country, the detective agencies would be the investigative branch and the security companies would be the foot soldiers.

He gave a laugh, 'foot soldiers' ensuring that there was no action to take against him. King Marcus I of England, Scotland and Wales. That would show them ... all of them who said he'd never get anywhere in life!

Then he laughed again, most of them were already dead – sent to where-ever that Beaker bloke and Sally went to!

Andrea brought in his tea and waited beside his desk as he sat down and sipped it, perfect, just the way he liked it. "Thank you Andrea, you may return to your desk." he said and looked out of his window at the world that would soon be his.

Some Weeks later.

My cell phone rang with a particular tone; I checked the name shown – 'Bath Police Custody Suite'. I pressed the button to answer the call.

"Is that Beaker? This is Sergeant Jones at the Custody suite. Just what the heck have you done now?" Sergeant Jones nearly barked the question at me.

"I'm sorry Sergeant? But I'm not sure what you're on about?" I said puzzled.

"We've had a visitor arrive in Cell 9. Some person called Beacham. Says he is a computer programmer. But he doesn't know how he got here." Sergeant Jones was a bit quieter now.

I was more alert now, a computer programmer sent by Anderson? "Sergeant, is the military liaison officer there?" I asked and receiving a positive response I continued, "hand Beacham over to him immediately, I'm not kidding when I say the safety of the country depends on that man being brought to me."

There was a sigh, "Very well Mr. Beaker, I'll get on with it." The Sergeant said and hung up.

I went to my desk and pressed a button I'd expected to use earlier. Nothing happened here but at Home Security an alarm was sounding and a prepared operation was starting up. I summoned up a Nemesis unit and created a screen, it showed Colonel Marlow's office.

He looked up as a screen appeared at his end. "Yes Major? You have news?" He asked.

I nodded, "Yes sir, Anderson is moving, he's sent a computer programmer to the cell at Bath, and I'm having him brought here."

Marlow was puzzled, "I don't understand, he eliminates a programmer and you sound the alarm without knowing the reason why?" He asked.

"Colonel, Anderson is not a person to discard anyone until they've fulfilled their use, we're expecting an attack on our computer systems ... Anderson sends a programmer to his death – he thinks – what would your instinct tell you?" I asked him.

He nodded "Very well Major, I'll confirm the alert and ensure that the Odin systems are running." He said.

I closed down the screen and then brought up another system, this one showed the major computer system and those all protected by the Odin group of spells.

A few spots were showing red where we didn't have coverage yet, they were mainly private businesses who didn't believe the threat. I saw the first one become purple – affected by a virus.

"Littlewoods group, under attack requesting help. Odin being sent ... Odin arrived ... Odin installed..." And soon the purple spot changed to Green as the Odin spells worked and protected the computer there.

"Request from other systems for protection being received, Odin being sent." The reports started to flow to me and the operations room. Anderson was trying his best ... only it wasn't good enough.

"Virus detected on PNC, Odin repairing, Loki sent to source." This was the first of the Government computers to be hit.