Ep 1

Charly sat up in a cold sweat. He tapped the alarm, which deactivated it at once. He gazed around at the gloom as his mobile went off. He snatched it up to answer.

“It’s you Nixon. Rather early to call.”

He listened carefully.

“Yes I had a nightmare about the PM’s visit. It ended with my demise.”

“What? Your nightmare ended with Grant and I being released? I remember that too. Look sir. Allow me to phone him. Why not pop over at nine? Great. When is she visiting?”

Charly hissed at the reply.

“It would be tomorrow mate.”

The call ended and he phoned his friend.

“The DI and I had the most incredible nightmare mate. Oh, I see. How did your one end? You melted? I remember that. How did my own end?
Ran down by a killer hearse mate.”

Charly laughed as Christine nibbled his right ear.

“Nixon is coming over at nine. I need you too. This obviously means something. Do I still have the card? Hold on...”

Charly reached across and opened the bedside drawer. He saw the white card quite clearly.

“Yes I still have it. Just as long as Nixon does not tear it up eh? Okay mate, see you then.”

Charly put down the mobile and climbed from his warm bed. Wandering across to the window, he noticed that the storm of last night was still in progress.

“It’s raining cats and dogs darling,” he muttered as the cat brushed against him.

Charly padded through to the kitchen and poured himself cereal. He carried it to the lounge and ate slowly. His active mind tried to work out why three people shared the same nightmare. Even to him it was obvious. The warning could not be ignored.

As nine arrived the front door was rapped. He found the DI and Grant chatting together. His old friend’s grey beard was still too long, and the multi-coloured poncho had still not been washed.

“Nice of you both to come. Where is Percy by the way?”

“I decided to leave my sergeant out of the loop. This is far too weird.”

They sat in the lounge as Christine watched from atop the sofa. As she purred softly, they compared notes.

“For myself,” Nixon explained. “First came the dark knight who killed the PM. Then I had you both arrested. Next came the gator attack, and your release.”

“You don’t remember the explosion or fireball then?” Charly asked.

“Not in the slightest.”

“How about you Grant?”

“For me, everything is the same. After the release, we came back here. Then came the fireball and I eh, melted. I also remember you rambling about skewed reality.”

“Yes I was. After you melted, I tried to flee. As I crossed the road, a hearse came out of nowhere and rammed me. Last thing I remember was an alarm clock. Turned out to be mine.”

“Can people share dreams?” the DI asked.

“No idea,” Charly replied. “At least there was one thing I did get right.”

“Which was?” Grant asked.

“I warned Nixon that we would work together.”

“I remember that,” the two males said.

“Could it be a warning?” Grant suggested.

“You don’t seriously suggest that these events could start tomorrow?” Nixon asked.

“I would not poo poo it Nixon,” Charly said. “If we do that all hell could break loose.”

“You suggested matter transmission,” Grant told him.

“I also suggested warped reality,” Charly said. “The only problem is lack of technology. Even I doubt the military could build such a thing.”

“So we are back at stage one,” Nixon said. “Nothing real to go on.”

“Seems like it,” Charly conceded.

“Why not call the visit off,” Grant suggested. “You know? Break the sequence.”

The DI shook his head.

“I could not do that without a damn good explanation. Then I would answer for it.”

Charly noticed the DI looked rather nervous.

“What’s up?”

“Triad threatened me with demotion to traffic warden, if anything went wrong with this visit.”

Charly and Grant smiled.

“Quite right too,” they said.

“So what do we do?” Nixon asked in desperation.

“Close the pool and phone the Russian space agency would be a good start,” Charly advised. “Oh yes, evacuate the monastery.”

“Seems that I don’t have much choice. Will that work though?”

“At least we will have tried mate,” Grant said slowly.

As the DI left, he looked extremely concerned. When the door shut, Charly looked grave.

“I’ll phone Triad about this. Perhaps an outside opinion is required.”

Grant smiled at him.

“Let’s hope she does not lock us up!”

Charly made the call from his bedroom, as the cat chose to keep a sharp eye upon Grant.

“I’m telling you the truth my dear. We had a shared dream.”

Charly listened.

“I don’t care how crazy it sounds. Are you lot conducting an experiment?”

He heard the woman’s sharp reply.

“At least give us a few pointers.”

There was a pause.

“Thanks for no help.”

He disconnected and returned to the lounge.

“By the look upon your face, I take it she cannot help.”

“You are damn right. Scientifically impossible indeed.”

“We are running out of time,” Grant warned.

Charly stared at him.

“I know that mate. Let’s hope the DI has better luck.”
 
Ep 2

As soon as Nixon entered the station, he grabbed Percy by the shoulder.

“Take three men and close the pool.”

Lowering his voice to a whisper he said, “I received a bomb threat.”

“Right sir. What will you be doing?”

The DI looked grim.

“Phoning Russia my boy. There are international repercussions.”
Sergeant Percy moved toward the door, pointing at three of his colleagues.

“You lot with me.”

The DI entered his office and slammed the door. Taking a deep breath, he phoned Russia and after twenty minutes, he was put through to the space agency.

“Hello Demitry. DI Nixon here. We believe someone has sent a signal to Nikov 2, instructing it to fire its thruster tomorrow. Can you check?”

There was a long pause.

“Are you sure everything reads correctly?”

There was a second pause.

“Okay then. Just keep checking.”

As he put the phone down he muttered, “Thank goodness my Russian could cope.”

He left the station at once, commandeering a panda car. With lights and sirens sounding, he drove at full pelt toward the monastery and the doomed nuns. When he drew up, the locked gates refused him entry.
He stared at them for a moment, before climbing carefully over and dropping onto the path beyond. He ran to the main building, and was relieved when he was given entry.

“As I see it Mother Superior you have two choices. Either leave as instructed or risk being blown to pieces tomorrow.”

The lady was none too pleased.

“Mr Nixon. If GOD requires a sacrifice, everyone here will gladly provide it. You see sir; we have something you obviously lack. Faith.”

“I appeal to your humanity,” the DI said. “The threat is real madam.”

“No doubt it is sir. We are staying put.”

The DI was downcast by the response and once he reached his vehicle, he sped toward the pool and Tressle Street.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the closed sign and his men waiting outside.

“Well done Percy. At least they listened.”

“I’ve ordered sniffer dogs sir. They should be here soon.”

“Excellent. Let me know if they find anything. I need to see someone.”

He turned the car around, and drove at high speed back towards Charly and the flat. Once inside, he delivered the good and bad news.

“At least one part of the chain has been broken,” Grant said.

“Only until the dogs confirm no bomb,” the DI replied. “It’ll be open tomorrow I fear.”

“Then we are stuffed,” Charly said.

“Not if I have anything to do with it,” the DI said.

“We still can’t explain the events though,” Grant reminded them. “These things simply don’t happen.”

“I see your point,” Charly conceded. “Problem is we are running against time itself.”

“Let’s try another angle,” Nixon suggested. “If we assume it will happen, regardless of what we do, the next question is...”

Charly answered that one.

“How did it happen?”

“Exactly,” the DI said. “What was the precise mechanism that allowed it to happen?”

“Certainly not the warping of space and time,” Grant chipped in.

“Highly unlikely here,” Nixon replied.

“I still think we are missing something important,” Charly said. “If reality cannot be warped to that extent, then something else can.”

“Drugs or subliminal messages could produce a similar effect,” Grant suggested.

The DI looked at him.

“There speaks the words of an addict.”

“True,” Grant replied. “That is all we have left.”

“Could you check the water supply?” Charly asked Nixon.

“Sure, I can phone from here.”

“Good man. Now, this subliminal message would have to come from a transmitter. If we experienced a test run, then it would have left visible traces.”

The DI headed for the bedroom as Charly walked over to his VCR.

“I made an overnight recording you see. I wanted to view that porn film.”

Grant was surprised by the admission.

“Christine must be jealous.”

Charly glanced back as the tape rewound.

“Nearly there.”

“I phoned the water board and they are checking,” Nixon said wandering back. “What are you up to?”

Ep 3

Charly stepped back from the television.

“Just checking a theory.”

He sat down as the tape played. After an hour of this, the picture suddenly scrambled. Charly hit the stop button.

“There is the proof. Now I’ll apply sound.”

As the tape played, strong images flashed across their eyes. Charly turned it off.

“It’s definitely a subliminal message mate.”

“For what purpose?” Grant asked.

Charly thought quickly.

“It must be designed to frighten people to death. That means the PM, that woman, the nuns, and not forgetting myself and Grant.”

“That sounds pretty solid to me,” Nixon admitted.

“Apart from the PM’s visit,” Charly asked. “Anything else going on tomorrow?”

There was a moments silence.

“Hold it a second,” the DI said. “A quantity of diamonds are due to be delivered to our bank tomorrow.”

“Then that is the real target,” Charly said. “We are not dealing with aliens or rogue scientists this time. We are dealing with old fashioned crooks.”

The DI was smiling now. Crooks he could understand.

“So where is the transmitter?” Grant asked.

“To be that strong, it must have swamped every signal within twenty miles. Which means it is close by. We should be looking for an old TV detector van.”

The DI pulled out his radio as the bedroom phone rang.

“Just ignore it,” Charly said. “Now we know the truth.”

“Sergeant Percy? Good. Now listen. Send out an APB on a TV detector van pronto. When located advise the armed response unit to engage. Have you got that?”

When the answer came, the officer switched it off.

“Now we are getting somewhere,” he muttered.

“Will you call the visit off?” Grant asked.

“With this ongoing operation, I am well within my rights,” Nixon replied. “I’ll do that once they have been caught and dealt with.”
Nixon left them at that point, racing toward the station with lights flashing. At the main junction, he got the expected call.

“Red van spotted near Baker farm. Armed unit on way.”

“Baker farm?” the DI muttered. “I’m going the wrong way!”

He slammed on the brakes and spun the panda car around 360 degrees. Pushing his foot to the floor, the car sped off toward the expected encounter.

Within a small grey van built during the swinging 60’s, four desperate men waited for the morrow to arrive. They had planned this bloody heist during the previous three years, and were quite willing to die for it.

As Tonky took a piss outside, he clearly heard the wail of approaching police cars. He dashed inside at once.

“They are on to us!”

He grabbed his shotgun and dashed outside, just as the armed response unit arrived on the scene.

“Damn pigs!” he screamed before letting off both barrels.”

The vehicle halted and three officers dashed outside. As they took up position behind the wrecked car, a hail of shot arrived to shatter the fuel tank. The vehicle exploded at once, even as the DI arrived himself.

“Oh ****!”

He hit the brakes and leapt out as shot spattered around him. Reaching inside his jacket, he pulled his weapon free.

“Give yourself up!” he screamed.

“Go to hell copper.”

“What a ruddy position to be in,” he said.

Nixon produced his radio and called for backup as the shot reigned down.

“Can’t ruddy well sit here.”

He spotted the adjacent tree and ran for it. As he threw himself down, his own car exploded.

“What an end to quite a promising career,” he hissed.

He saw one of the gunmen brake cover and cut him down.

“That evens the odds at least.”

As more sirens arrived, he watched what his opponents were up too. He was startled when the van’s engine fired up.

“No you don’t!”

He leapt into full sight and fired four shots at the retreating fuel tank. Before the backup had screeched to a stop, the TV detector van had gone up in orange and yellow flames.

“You alright sir?” Percy asked, dashing toward him.

DI Nixon put his weapon away and smiled broadly.

“I am now sergeant. Sadly, we lost three good men.”

As Percy surveyed the carnage, the DI said quietly, “I had better inform the chief constable to cancel that visit eh? There could be yet another threat to the PM.”

“As you wish sir.”

Nixon turned and walked over to the waiting vehicles. As an afterthought, he called an officer across, before heading back to the safety of the station.

Back at the flat, Charly and Grant had continued discussing the nightmare, and the message that triggered it. When the door was knocked, Charly quickly answered.

He was surprised to see a police officer waiting for him.

“Can we help?”

The police officer grinned.

“I have a message from DI Nixon sir.”

“Let’s have it then.”

“Death hath no dominion. What does it mean sir?”

Charly smiled to himself.

“Never you mind. Just thank the DI for me.”

“I’ll certainly do that sir.”

Wandering into the lounge, Grant stared at him.

“What was that all about?”

Charly sat upon the sofa and said softly, “A point of philosophy Grant. A point of philosophy.”

He stared across toward the window as Christine leapt onto his lap.
As it purred loudly, he stroked the jet-black fur.

“At least you love me darling.”

The cat meowed back, fully understanding the words.

“Sometimes you know,” Grant said. “I truly think cat’s are more intelligent than us.”

Charly grinned.

“Compared to them, we are but mice my friend. Get the Grouse out mate. We all could do with a wind down.”