Chapter 44
Derek Frobisher was a charming ebullient man who was liked by all his patients. He was rather suave with his luxuriant hair and splendid moustache. He had made a study of head injuries and this is what had brought him into contact with Dan.
Derek checked Alex and said that he was fine. He suggested that the little boy be kept inside and monitored for a couple of days, but he seemed to be suffering no lasting effects. Having done his duty as a medic the doctor was now able to move onto other business. He and Dan would be discussing the events of the day before when a group of friends had talked about their opposition to the OWG.
Dan had said that he was aware of others who might be willing to join their band. He had not given names, but he was referring to his old colleague Martin and some of the people he had met through him. They had stopped meeting to plan a campaign against the government following the debacle of working with Bertie.
It would be good to catch up with his friend and former workmate. Dan wasn't sure if Martin would want to get involved with this again, but he would contact him and give him the option. Recruiting others to assist was fraught with risk. The authorities had informers and moles ready to report on those who approached them. Martin was definitely trustworthy and valuable as a result.
It had been quickly agreed that any attempt to overthrow the inner cabinet led by Nicholas Salter could not use violence. There was an element of a moral objection to that, but there were practical reasons too. The army generals were totally behind Salter and would retaliate if an attack happened.
"We will have to be sly rather than strong. Take a leaf out of Salter's book and use coercion perhaps."
Derek nodded his agreement. "Research. Get the intelligence and then we can form a plan. I think this is where Eric will prove to be invaluable."
The revelation that Eric was willing to work to oust the inner cabinet had surprised them all. He had always been such a staunch supporter of the OWG. He had only recently been promoted to the position of minister. He was now seeing the government from the inside and he did not like what was happening.
Ryan was a colonel in the army, but his role in any insurrection would not involve guns. He was keen to be a part of whatever was planned, but it was unlikely to be attacking the parliament building with a platoon of soldiers. He was ready to serve in whatever capacity was required of him.
London had been hit by one of the meteor showers and the grand Houses of Parliament and many of the other historic buildings had been destroyed. Dan recalled the disaster movies from his Earth. Big Ben was always depicted being flattened, but it had miraculously remained intact. The city with its mass of dead bodies and rubble had been abandoned. Those that were left had neither the time nor the will to try to rebuild the capital. The town of Reading, improbably, became the base for the OWG.
Reading town hall had become the seat of government for the OWG. The historic building had grown over the years with pieces being added on as the need arose. There was no planning department advising about what would be in keeping with the building which was originally constructed in 1786. Ugly concrete and brick extensions had been tacked onto it and then more offices had been built close by. A meteor had conveniently cleared a large area near to the place.
The Huntley and Palmer building was the home of the MOD. Other ministries had offices there but the majority of the site was occupied by the army top brass. They were located near to the OWG where Nicholas Salter could keep an eye on them. Brock Barracks housed a battalion of the army who in effect guarded the government.
The town was not a fortress, but it would be difficult to take any sort of force to the town hall with a view to arresting any of the inner cabinet. It was not going to be possible to manhandle the undesirables out of their positions. Artifice was more important then arms for this endeavour. That meant a great deal of planning.
Serena had joined the conversation. She was willing and able to participate in any way to get the OWG to reform. She lived in a labour zone and was familiar with the difficulties and privations which that involved. Phyllis and her husband Peter brought tea to the table and took part in the brain storming session.
They were eager to get started, but this was not going to happen overnight. That did not mean that they couldn't dream up wild ruses and fantasise about the downfall of the inner cabinet. Until they had found out a lot more about the lives of their targets they were simply speculating. They needed an angle and that was what they would focus on first.
"We can't just take them out with a sniper?" Peter was grinning at the thought.
"The idea is to avoid committing a crime. It would solve the problem though." Dan asked for more ideas.
"As a medical man I can't help but think about poison." Derek was not really helping.
"Once again, a crime and a very worrying thing for a doctor to say."
"We need to talk to Mr McBride. He's the one who knows these people best." Phyllis, as usual, was the sensible one.
Phyllis and Peter were hugely grateful to Daniel Ellis. Their history with him and his family had been mixed to say the least. It was their son Bertie who had killed both Sarah McBride and then her daughter Sam. The extremely clever boy who had been chosen to attend a top school had become a murderous rebel.
Their son was a handsome boy with wavy dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He had used his charisma to attract people to his cause. He had been inquisitive and had questioned the way the world was run by the OWG from an early age. There had been no clue to the type of person he would become.
What an amazing man Dan was. It would have been easy for him to blame the parents for the actions of their son. He had kept employing her knowing that she had nothing to do with his wild actions. He had even moved them into the annexe of his large house in the leadership town.
The Crawford and the Ellis families now had a strong bond. The problems could have torn them apart, but they had bonded tighter together. When Bertie had disappeared into the water at a dock on the south coast Phyllis had been distraught at his loss, but relieved that he would not be able to hurt anyone else.
"We need to think about this thing with the OWG." Peter was musing on the recent discussions.
"What do you mean?" Phyllis stopped what she was doing to face her husband.
"I know that Daniel has been good to us. We're in his house for heaven's sake. And that is after everything that our boy did. I do worry though that we are getting involved in something that is… I don't know, beyond us."
"You mean that we don't understand what is going on? I certainly do."
"No not that. These are all leadership people. They are in top jobs. Eric McBride is a minister. We sit at the table and talk about things with them, but we can't do much."
"Do you think that they are right. Forget for a moment what this might mean for us if it all goes wrong."
"It's pretty hard to forget that we might be homeless and you unemployed, but yes I think they are right. You know what I think about the bloody OWG. I suggested shooting Salter, didn't I?"
"I know. My point is that we agree with Dan and the others. Why wouldn't we stand with them on this?"
"Your right. I suppose I just thought that we should stop for a moment and think. We are servants. If Dan and the others are caught no one would consider us part of the conspiracy. We would not get into trouble. They would believe that we were too stupid to know what was happening if that is what we told them. What I'm thinking is that I don't want anybody to get hurt. I don't want you to get hurt."
Phyllis gave her husband a hug.
"Dan, Eric, Ryan and the doctor. They are risking everything. I don't want to see anyone hurt either, but we must do whatever we can to help. You and I are people just like them. That is what they are fighting for. This not beyond us, this is for us."
Peter kissed the top of her head and then sat at the kitchen table. "You are a wise woman Mrs Crawford."
"And you are a lucky man Mr Crawford."
He pretended not to have heard her last comment as he opened the newspaper. The trace of a smile indicated that he had.
"How about a nice cup of tea for your fortunate husband."
The thought that it could lead to big trouble had been on Phyllis' mind. Salter was a thoroughly unprincipled man and if it was necessary, he would get rid of his opponents. If he found out what Dan and the others were doing, at the very least it would mean that there would be arrests.
She wasn't with the family out of a sense of duty or guilt. Phyllis genuinely liked Dan. They had grown close after he had been in hospital following his head injury. He had come back with a new outlook on life. She adored Grace and Alex as well. When Sam had died the children had looked to her for comfort and solace.
How bizarre that a nasty bang on the head had started this journey that they were all now on. Dan had been an emotionless man, like so many others of the leadership class. He had become a sensitive man with strong moral values which he supported by taking positive action. It was almost like he was a completely different person.