Clive Bedford - Mistress of torment

"Tell me all about this," he asked, and for the next half hour, between them Dodds and Gerry put him in the picture.

"So you are inclined to think an invasion is imminent?" he asked at last.

"I'm not sure imminent is the right word, Prime Minister," said Dodds. "I am pretty sure it will happen in the near future, but it may not be for months yet. What I look for now is signs of civil commotion, riots, threats of revolution. Their aim seems to be to paralyze the major civil governments, in Britain, America and Russia at least, and then to strike."

"Do you think they have the resources?"

Dodds shrugged, helplessly. "How can I know that, Sir? But if they have say fifty thousand well-placed slaves in this country, and we are not prepared, I think they could do it. We already have the makings of trouble, with inflation gone mad, with violent class antagonisms and the formation of private armies."

"All right, let's assume for a moment you are correct – and I may say that the home secretary and the chiefs of staff agree with you – what are we going to do about it? I'll tell you that I've called a special meeting of the Cabinet for noon, ostensibly to discuss Common Market problems, but in fact to enable me to brief members on this subject. It's going to be difficult. Most of them won't believe the evidence, at least at first."

For the first time, Gerry Glasner spoke. "If I might make a question, Sir," he said.

"Please do. I'd like to hear it. You've accounted for yourself very well up to now."

"I think immediate steps should be taken, first to X-ray all persons at the head of affairs."

"Including me?"

"Yes Sir, including you." Gerry's frank smile took the sting out, but it had to be said. No one was to be trusted at present. "And then, as quickly as possible, all Civil Service, Army, Navy and Air Force personnel, followed by trades union officials and top management of industry."

"It would be a nuisance, but it could be done. We've got that fleet of mobile X-ray trucks we use for chest X-rays. We could get someone to invent some new health scare and make it compulsory without too much trouble. But it will take time…"

"In the meantime, we'll have to take extra precautions," said Dodds. "If revolution breaks out, the police won't be able to hold it down. It's going to take the Army. I think you ought to ask for special powers from the Queen, so you can call out the military without delay if needed."

"The opposition won't like that! In fact, I doubt if they'd stand for ft at all. Using the Ulster Irish vote, they can throw us out of office any day they choose."

"I'm sorry to persist, Sir," continued Dodds, "but I believe you'll have to take the leader of the opposition and the Shadow Cabinet into your confidence on this. After all, they will all have to be X-rayed as a matter of extreme urgency, won't they?"

The Prime Minister sat for a minute or two looking out of the window, seeming to admire the plants blooming in the window boxes outside. Then he turned back to his guests, and he looked ten years older than when they had arrived.

"You really think it's that serious Dodds?" he asked.

"I do, Sir."

"You believe I've got a major constitutional crisis on my hands?"

"I'm sure of it."

"Well, I shall have to think about it. After my meeting I'll know more. Then I'll have a talk with the President of the United States. By now he'll have had all the information you and Glasner have released. I know he and his colleagues think the thing is dangerous, but I don't know how far they're prepared to go yet. If civil insurrection breaks out in the USA, it'll be much more difficult to contain than it will here. It's such a big country – and there are so many guns! And they run it under a very much slacker rein than we do, you know I wish to God I could deal equally frankly with that man in the Kremlin. They're so suspicious. It's pathological, I'm sure… Never mind, we'll muddle through somehow I expect…"

Gerry's heart fell into his boots at those ominous words, "muddle through". That was the parrot cry that had brought Britain to victory two years late in the First World War – and to the loss of the peace in 1920 at Versailles. And it was that same stupid slogan that had brought about the debacle of the Dunkirk Evacuation which had been called a victory but was in fact an utter defeat. Could a man who expected to "muddle through" to preserve his political career, possibly lead concerted action against this new and obviously ruthlessly efficient enemy?

"Thank you, gentlemen. Keep yourselves in some place where my secretary can find you without delay please. And if you get any more vital information, see that I get it at once. Good morning."

As the two men walked again through the carpeted corridors, they passed other men, carrying briefcases, obviously Cabinet members hurrying to their meeting.

"Have you ever had a sense of impending doom?" asked Dodds gloomily, as they sat in the car.

"Often, when I was at school, waiting to go to the head for a caning!"

"That's how I feel now… The Prime Minister just doesn't understand the gravity of the situation. He's holding a Cabinet now, spilling the beans in detail. How does he know that one or more of the Cabinet haven't already been 'got at', wired for sound?"

"You think that's possible?"

"Why not? What's so special about politicians? And if it's true that the Andromedans – or even the important one you met – are attracted to people who are at least potentially perverse…" Dodds fixed an enquiring eye on Gerry… "well, we all know that politicians British politicians at least… are sitting ducks for that kind of thing! Hardly a year goes by that some leading public figure isn't found out consorting with a Whipping Girl! You've only got to read the newspapers."

"What's the implication then?"

"I'll tell you Gerry." In his deep concern, for a moment the great man relaxed his usual formality enough to use Gerry's given name, some indication perhaps of how greatly he was moved! "If there's enough men in high places, in government and the armed forces have been put under control by the Andromedans, we're defeated before we start!" After a moment's dead silence, Dodds said, "I'm going to put the checking of police personnel in hand, at once, this day. At least I'll try to have the civil arm of government clean!"

He meant well, but as those of us who are left know, it was, as always in Britain, a case of "too little, too late".

Half an hour after his return to headquarters, Dodds was handed a telex message. Dodds read it through twice, then handed it to Gerry, who was still with him. "It's the beginning of the end," he said.

Gerry read the message. CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT. PRIME MINISTER RESIGNED ONE A.M. TODAY. HOME SECRETARY AND SEVEN OTHER CABINET MINISTERS UNDER ARREST. GENERAL SIR JOHN MCKENZIE APPOINTED MINISTER FOR INTERNAL SECURITY. ALL POLICE FORCES COME UNDER HIS DIRECT CONTROL EFFECTIVE THREE P.M. TODAY. MESSAGE ENDS.

Dodds lit a cigarette with steady fingers. "You'd better get out of here as quick as you can, Gerry," he said.

"There's not much time to lose. Young men like you may be able to overcome these people one day… Go now! And don't return to your apartment. You know too much."

"What about you Sir?"

"Me? I'm going to finish this cigarette. Haven't had one for three years – but I'm not going to die from lung cancer now! Good luck!"

Gerry walked through the corridors and out into the street by a side entrance. Everything seemed so normal, nothing seemed to have changed. Yet he knew, from the message he had read, that already he was in the middle of a dying civilization, among people already dead…

The rest is history, and I'm not going over that again. If you want to read about the history of the past thirty years, you will find plenty of material. Most of it deals with the reconstruction which followed the invasion of the Andromedans. Mankind put up a good resistance, but not for long. The whole world capitulated inside thirty days, and no one ever was able to agree to use the atomic weapons which were the only possible defense. The efficient undermining of the governments of both Britain and the USA made them helpless in a few days. The good men were destroyed; those who were under control took charge and did as they were told. Russia, so buried in suspicion and mistrust was unable to cooperate with the West, even in the face of such a threat – and it had its own problems of men who had been "wired for sound", to use Dodds' expressive phrase.