Stan Mason - Stopping World War Three

‘I know nothing about the new laser gun,’ I rattled sharply. ‘It’s not in my domain.’

‘But it will do the trick,’ he muttered. ‘I hear that the laser beam produces such intense heat over a wide area that it dissolves metal almost instantly. It is a death ray of the highest quality. The power that rises in the Middle East could threaten us with nuclear power but we dissolve their missiles, rockets and weapons before they could come into contact with us as well as any large guns or tanks they may have. We would also be able to wipe out their soldiers in the field with great accuracy. World War Three would never be able to get under way.’

Only now did the picture become clear to me and I had to admit that I felt somewhat swayed by his delivery. ‘What’s your role in all this?’ I questioned, going on to the attack. ‘I mean you’re an arms dealer. What would you do with the plans if I managed to get them? Would you sell them to all and sundry at a huge profit?’

His eyes seemed to penetrate me as though I had offended him and then he looked away before replying. ‘Mr. Scott, I am a top-class arms dealer. I’ve made more money in the last decade than you would make if you lived a thousand years. Profit no longer interests me. My role, as you would call it, is the appointment of a Chief Arms Adviser to the 21st Century Crusaders. I have laid my life on the line for them.’

‘For what reason?’ I challenged suspiciously. ‘You don’t have to take risks like that.’

He clapped his hands for the cups to be removed but instead of the giant Arab who had appeared earlier a beautiful young woman entered the room. ‘Let me introduce you to my daughter, Davina.’

She smiled at us sweetly and began to clear away the crockery. She was a slender attractive young woman with long jet-black hair that almost reached down to her waist. Her face was distinctly Eurasian with black eyes and high cheekbones. I was stunned by her natural beauty, forgetting in that instant my feelings for my wife or Penny. Even when she had left the room, the outlines of her delicate features and her lithe body continued to linger in my mind like that of a haunting refrain.

‘She is the reason for my interest,’ explained Menel. ‘I have all I need for myself. It’s my responsibility that my family can enjoy freedom for the next thousand years without fear or torture. I speak not only for her but for the many young people like her.’

I paused to think for a moment, coming back to reality. ‘Why don’t you present your case to the Chairman of Dandy Advanced Electronics? You might be able to persuade him to do some kind of a deal.’

‘It cannot happen that way. As a commercial organisation, they will still come under the auspices of the British Defence authorities. It would all have to be approved by them and I cannot see them trying to entertain such a request. It could never happen.’

‘If what I’ve been told is true… the oil running out… the rise of Islam… World War Three… the British Government would be foolish to ignore any measure to try to correct the situation.’

‘The British Government would never encompass such an idea. They always wait until it is too late to resolve matter. Peace in our time! Isn’t that what the Prime Minister Chamberlain said in 1939 when he returned from a visit to Hitler… even though intelligence indicated that the Fuehrer was building up armaments at a rate of knots? After that, at least fifteen million people died in the Second World War. We cannot trust any government. Almost certainly they will feel disinclined to act. The United Nations would be useless because many Arab states would use their veto on actions related to force. War would become inevitable if it wasn’t for the 21st Century Crusaders. The main way to resolve the problem is for you to obtain a copy of the plans. Will you do that for us?’

‘I need to give a lot more thought to all that I’ve heard before giving any finite decision,’ I replied unhappily. ‘Yes… a lot of thought.’

‘Good,’ he uttered, as though I had agreed. He removed a buff envelope from an inside pocket of his jacket. ‘This is a microfilm of the plans relating to the new laser gun prototype. They are spurious but you may need to substitute them for the originals.’

He rubbed his moustache with the middle finger of his right hand before passing the envelope to me. Then he clapped his hands twice and the tall bearded Arab reappeared. Menel conveyed an order to him in Arabic after which we found ourselves shepherded out into the street, trying to adjust our eyes to the bright sunlight.

We left the house and started down the narrow street with Menel’s words buzzing in our ears. As we moved out into a wider road, something caused me to turn and I saw the black car coming towards us at speed. It was the same vehicle which had tried to run us down before. I touched Penny’s arm to alert her to the danger and we both began to run towards the crossroads at the end of the road. The black car reached the point at the same time, it’s tyres screeching as it came to a sudden halt. The two front doors opened and a man and a woman slid out of the seats to crouch defensively behind the open doors. I could see that they were both holding revolvers in their hands.

‘Stay exactly where you are!’ commanded the man loudly through a megaphone. ‘Do not attempt to move! We will come to you!’

‘Run!’ urged Penny, giving me a push in the back to start me off.

Before I knew what was happening, my legs were pounding the rough pavement towards an unknown destination. It was obvious our pursuers were not the police… but who were they? I didn’t know and I had no intention of staying to find out. They were the hunters; I was the prey! I couldn’t remember how long I kept running. When I stopped, my body was soaked with perspiration and I could scarcely breathe through exhaustion. I hesitated for a moment to regain my breath, hiding in the shadow of a strange doorway and then closed my eyes. This was becoming a nightmare! But it was real and I was living it therefore I couldn’t afford to rest… not even for a moment… in case they were close behind me. The seconds were too precious to waster… I had to move on! My face felt as though it was on fire, my head throbbed with agonising pain, while the saliva in my mouth tasted strangle like blood. A sense of urgency raced through my tired body at the echoing of footsteps hammering on the rough pavement could be heard only a short distance away. It seemed that whatever direction I took they were bound to find me. I had no idea what had happened to Penny. It was my conviction that she was safe because all the footsteps appeared to be heading towards me.

There were only two of them yet they seemed to be covering every street and alley to prevent me from making my escape.

The footsteps came near but it was difficult to determine their precise location. The only advice I could offer myself was to run like the Devil for as long as possible despite the fact that I had no idea where I was going. As I was about to drag my weary limbs a little further, I heard the faint noise of an approaching motor car. If I could get a lift, I would be able to clear the area before anyone realised that I had gone. The vehicle came into sight some distance away. It was a bright red car racing at a fast rate down the street towards me. I stepped off the kerb waving my arms wildly n an attempt to make the driver stop. There was a loud squeal as he applied the brakes and the car swerved dangerously before coming to a halt. The driver leaned out of the window to hurl a torrent of abuse at me but, before I could get to it, he had restarted the motor and driven off. Dispiritedly, I returned to the comfort of a darkened doorway. They would soon be closing in! I ran down the next street and turned into an alley, leaning against a wall as my lungs heaved painfully in my chest as I gasped for breath. The voices of the hunters sounded very near and I pressed on to find myself confronted by a wall that was some ten feet in height. At the top there were long slivers of glass embedded in cement to deter unwelcome intruders. As the man and woman appeared at the end of the alley behind me, a voice called out my name above me. Penny held a large rock in her hands which she dashed down on the glass slivers, smashing them to pieces, Then she quickly laid a discarded rug over the top and leaned out over the wall extending her arms to help carry me over it. I glanced at the dangerous edges of the nearby slivers and hesitated for a moment.