Chapter 39

A prototype of the Ellis Immobiliser had now been produced and trials were taking place. Hapless soldiers were subjected to shocks as the gun was tested. It had become a rite of passage for the troops, with each of them taking their turn to feel the effects of the weapon. Dan felt sorry for the new recruits who would face being stung as part of their initiation.

How he wished that there was Wi-Fi technology in this world. Dan spent most of his time trying to conceal trailing wires as he devised covert surveillance systems. Making components smaller was also a challenge. One could hide the wires but if a bloody great camera was stuck on a wall someone would notice it. He desperately needed microchips.

He had studied mechanical engineering, but he was having to find solutions using many other skills. He used microchips all the time in the other world but he had no idea about manufacturing them. He asked Ryan to put him in contact with other scientists who might be able to invent the things that he needed. He would have to make suggestions and await the results.

Many things would be discovered in the years to come by the genius minds in this world. Dan was just nudging inventors in the right direction to hasten the process. Who knows, they might come up with a different solution to the problems that needed solving. Also, he couldn't create everything himself that would be ridiculous. Then he thought about people like Newton and Einstein and wondered if they had experienced something similar to him. Men out of time who had been given a glimpse of the future.

Phyllis was spending a lot of time at Dan's home because of the children. It was time to change his domestic arrangements to make things easier for everyone. Dan had been looking for a new home and he had found something that was most suitable. He had discovered a large detached home which had, what in his world, would be called a granny annexe on the side. Phyllis and Peter could live inside the leadership area, benefiting from the better facilities that came with the location. Dan would have constant child care which would make his working life much easier.

He wasn't a superstitious man, so he didn't think that his present house was haunted. It did however have a strange atmosphere about it following Sam's death. Each room had a trace of his wife in it. The décor, an object, a scent or a memory reminded the family of what had been lost. They did not want to forget about her, but Sam's lingering spirit was almost oppressive.

The move was made and the children settled in quite quickly. There was a big garden and the addition of a climbing frame and a swing made it very popular. Alex fell over and off of everything, but he just got back up and carried on. He was a tough little boy and Dan marvelled at his resilience. It was especially remarkable considering that he had not survived beyond the womb in the other world.

Grace was more relaxed away from the old house. She kept a photograph of her mother in her bedroom, but she was shaking off the negative memories and was feeling lighter and happier. Dan had seen her frown replaced with a smile and he had a more positive vision of her future. All he had to do now was engineer a major change in the attitude of the OWG to give her a chance to fulfil her potential.

In the evening he would sit with Phyllis and Peter and they would discuss the world in which they lived. Dan was still a newcomer and he learnt a great deal from his servant and her husband. He never thought of Phyllis as his inferior and she thanked her lucky stars, she couldn't thank God, that he was her boss.

She watched Dan as he discovered more about the society constructed by the OWG. After the accident when he had been found unconscious, he had claimed a loss of memory. Phyllis couldn't help but think that he was not just suffering from amnesia. There was a fundamental change in the way he acted and thought, which could not have been caused by a bump on the head. There was more to his story, but she would have to wait until he was ready to reveal it.

There was peace in the house apart from the usual squabbles between the children, but everyone felt that it was the calm before the storm. So much had happened in the last few months and none of them could truly relax whilst the OWG were carrying on with no sign of change.

Dan headed off to work each morning with his head full of ideas. He would help Ryan as much as he could in his fight against violent criminals. At least the branch of the army which he was attached to was not gassing its own personnel. His commute was shorter now that he had moved home and his contact with other inventors was beginning to yield results.

Ryan had been born into a leadership family and he had joined the army because his father and grandfather had done. It was tradition. He had always been interested in the unit which provided armed policing for the OWG and he had fought to get his current position. He had served abroad and had seen the work that the main army undertook. Intimidating and suppressing the general population was not what he wanted to do.

The public were not usually armed and he had witnessed what was essentially a massacre on one of his tours. He had shot mostly above people's heads when the order was given, but he was one amongst many and it had made little difference. When he had got his posting to the investigation unit, he had been relieved. At least if he was shooting at someone now, it was because they were shooting at him.

His father was old school and had believed absolutely in the actions and philosophy of the OWG. Ryan had grown up listening to his father extoling the work of the government and angrily berating anyone who showed the merest hint of dissent. Only when he had gone out on his own had he been able to see the faults in the system.

Ryan had misgivings about the OWG, but he had been able to ignore what was happening once he became head of his team. Their work was different because they were fighting the bad guys and not just the disaffected. They were taking dangerous criminals off of the street and were providing a service to both the government and the public. Recent events had made him focus on the bigger picture once more.

He had never voiced his reservations to anyone until he had spoken to Dan. He liked his new colleague and was interested in what he had to say. The whole episode with the gas had made him wonder about those that were ruling and their attitude to the population. They had used their energy to find a way to kill large numbers rather than find out why people wanted to rebel and do something about it.

There were various events which Ryan attended with other army officers. When he looked around, he saw a lot of men like his father. Old generals who were devoted to the OWG and to Nicholas Salter in particular. He pictured Salter with his grey hair swept back off of his face and his grin which revealed small perfect teeth. There was something reptilian about him.

The army was tightly controlled by the OWG. They had obviously considered the possibility of a coup and had strategically placed staunch supporters in key areas. Their tyranny would not last forever, Ryan told himself. The old guard would be replaced with younger people with fresh ideas, eventually. Could he wait for this to happen and how long would it take?

He had found himself compiling a list of the officers that he knew. The upper echelons of generals, lieutenant generals, major generals and brigadiers were all cast from the same mould. There were one or two who might join a revolution, but they would only do so to gain power themselves.

He had a list, but there was not much more that he could do at present. Ryan would keep his ear to the ground and be ready for the opportunity, should it come. He knew that Dan would be beside him when it was time for action. He liked Dan and was glad that they had become friends.

The main rank and file had been chosen for their inability to think for themselves. They were not going to rise up and overthrow their officers. Any of the soldiers who showed more intelligence were removed from mundane work and reassigned to specialist units. He had a number of these misfits in his own unit. In fact, a new man was joining them the next day.