Chapter 14

The first stop was made after an hour when they spotted a steam tractor in a field next to the road. Dan pulled onto a verge next to a gate and he and Martin got out and peered at the machine trundling through the crops.

"Why do you want to look at that?" Martin was bemused.

"It's so retro" Dan said, which explained nothing.

Dan climbed on the gate and waved to the farmer driving the tractor. They exchanged gestures which resulted in an invitation into the field. Dan and Martin abandoned their jackets in the car and made their way to the steam powered machine. The mass of metal with its plume of smoke was all that Dan could look at. As he got closer, the parts which made up the mechanical monster revealed themselves.

The giant metal wheels had obviously been taken from a different vehicle. The tank and the chimney had not necessarily started life together either. Each part of the tractor was a different colour and a different age. Dan learned that it was a reciprocating engine and that this machine was used in many ways. It pulled a plough or ran a threshing machine. The farmer used it to pump water as well.

The big question for Dan was why the labour class weren't given more modern equipment.

"Us on the farms, we are given better machines, but there are never enough to cope with all the work. Most people who work on the land cobble together extra engines to ease the load for the manual labourers."

As they returned to the car Martin expanded on the OWG's methods. They wanted the manual workers doing manual jobs. Too much automation would give them time on their hands.

"The ministry in charge of agriculture worked out how many farm workers there were. They knew how much food each farm was expected to produce. The number of steam tractors was then allocated to ensure that the yields were sufficient and the people fully employed. There is great invention and cannibalisation going on in the countryside as the farmers find solutions to their problems.

In the next few years there will probably be a switch to petrol driven engines being used in agriculture. It's no longer economical to keep factories running to manufacture the steam tractors. The parts for new modern machines could be made alongside the components for the combustion engines which run the cars and lorries. That would mean that more oil would have to be used so they will put it off for as long as they can. The OWG don't like using up their resources."

Martin took his turn driving the car and after a nervous start he soon took to the new engine and enjoyed the speed he could achieve. They arrived at the hotel for their overnight stay laughing and chatting like excited schoolboys. The talk over dinner that night was all about the car. Other issues were on their minds, but they could not discuss those openly. As they headed towards Marlborough college the next day, they talked about what might happen.

The school visit was about Dan maybe sending Alex there in years to come. Somehow, they had to drop Bertie's name into conversation and see if someone caught it. Any reaction would have to be assessed to see if it was sympathetic or hostile. It would be tricky gauging whether someone was on their side without revealing what their side was.

Dan was going to meet the headmaster for a chat and then he would take a tour of the school. It was when he was on his walkabout that he would hopefully get a chance to make some enquiries. He and Martin were hoping to get the students on their side by offering to show them the new prototype engine.

The college was, unsurprisingly, almost entirely populated by men. The few girls who made it into advanced education were taught at female only schools. Cooks, cleaners and secretaries were the only women on the premises. The headmaster droned on about academic excellence and the ideals of the OWG. He passed Dan over to a younger teacher for the tour of the facilities.

They visited the gymnasium and then moved on to a form room and stood at the back of one of the classes. The boys were all in uniform and were barely distracted from their lesson. As they headed for a science lab Dan broached the subject of Bertie. He said that his cleaner's child had been bright enough to pass the exam and had attended Marlborough.

"It was some years ago now. Bertie, Albert Crawford was his name."

The teacher looked most uncomfortable at the mention of the wayward student's name. He glanced around before answering.

"Sadly, Bertie went a bit off the rails. He was really clever but a malcontent."

Dan looked suitably shocked before asking what happened to him.

"He left is all I know."

Two more areas of the school were shown to Dan before he made another comment.

"I don't think my cleaner ever knew what happened to her son. I know he had to be dealt with, but it is hard on the family. And a waste. If he was clever he could have helped society somehow."

The teacher stopped and gazed fixedly at Dan. He didn't speak, but it was very obviously a warning to stop prying.

At this point Dan could back off or press on. The young teacher looked more regretful about the situation than angry so Dan decided to take the risk.

"If there is anything that you can tell me I would be grateful. If you cannot, maybe there is someone who can. A mother is looking for her son. Need I say more."

The few words at the end of his sentence could be construed many ways. Dan was pretty sure that the teacher had taken them exactly as they had been meant. The inference was that he didn't want to say more about his interest in the boy because of what that might reveal about his sympathies. The young man gave a small nod.

The tour progressed and they made their way back to the front of the college where the car was parked. A class of boys were queuing up to peer into the engine and were excited about the innovation. They all wanted a go in the car, but that was not going to happen. Dan's guide spoke to him as he and Martin prepared to leave.

"Are you driving straight back to the city from here?"

They were staying at the hotel again that night and Martin mentioned this fact and the establishments name.

They had planted a seed and now they could only wait to see if it would bear fruit. The conversation had been ambiguous enough for a denial of any subversion if things went wrong. The worst thing that could happen would be no response at all. Their dinner at the hotel was more subdued than that of the previous night.

A woman in her, mid-twenties, was sat in the reception area of the hotel as they left the dining room.

"Mr Ellis." The girl walked towards him.

She bobbed a curtsey before handing a package to him.

"Mr Calder said he's very sorry he couldn't get your order ready before the shop closed." Mr Calder was the young teacher's name.

"He said that you might want me to pass a message to him after you had checked your order."

The girl waited for a response from Dan who nodded in agreement. He pointed to a sofa in the far corner and they made their way towards it. The hotel receptionist had taken little notice of the interaction. A man was currently going over every item on his bill in great detail and that was taking all his attention.

The, red haired girl told Dan that her name was Serena. She sat primly beside him as he rummaged in the parcel which contained paperwork. She spoke quietly and rapidly to him.

"Mr Calder thinks that you are a good man. He has asked me to come here and give this to you. I sincerely hope that he is right about you." The look on the young woman's face was stern.

Dan knew the risks involved in her being there. He looked directly into Serena's eyes as he replied.

"I appreciate the bravery of your actions. I want to help people like Bertie. There must be a better way forward for mankind than what is happening now. Could I contact you again if I need more help?"

She hesitated for a second and then told him her address before leaving the hotel.

Martin reassured Dan that there was a way to contact Serena without using the post office which was, of course, run by the OWG.

"There are a lot of people who like to get messages back and forth without the authorities knowing. All kinds of deals are done. Affairs are conducted. You have to pay extra but there are ways of keeping secrets from the government."

The girl's image stayed in Dan's mind as they returned to town the next day. There was a fierce determination in her eyes and he was glad to have seen it. Every woman he had encountered in this world had been cowed and nervous but not Serena. From her attitude he imagined that if he had said or done the wrong thing it was highly likely that she would have punched him. He smiled at that thought.