CHAPTER 7... is live
The story continues
All previous chapters - CHAPTER 1 - CHAPTER 2 - CHAPTER 3 - CHAPTER 4 - CHAPTER 5 - CHAPTER 6
Previously on “The bomb in the shed…”; Jacob gets a kind of pep talk from his housebound dad, Camilla makes the brave decision to say no to Netflix and Arthur has a therapy session which triggers a terrible memory of his past in New Mexico.
And here we go with CHAPTER 7…
Chapter 7
Camilla was back at home sitting at the kitchen table.
It felt strange to be there after being away for a couple of weeks. Everything was a little different, the kettle had moved and the mugs were in the wrong place. Arthur had clearly tried to keep things tidy while she was away but the signs of a slow descent into perennial mess were all too evident for someone who’d been cleaning most of their life. It didn’t feel like her kitchen anymore, but it didn’t feel like it was Arthur’s either. It felt abandoned. Arthur was sat opposite her with an untouched mug of tea. He looked thin and frail, was that something that had happened in the time she’d been gone? Probably not. More likely it was how he’d looked for a while now, but it had taken some time away for her to notice.
He had a look of mounting panic on his face. There was no reason he should do. All Camilla had asked was Do you want me to come back? Well that wasn’t strictly true. Arthur had replied Of course and Camilla had then asked him the more difficult question, Why? That was when the look of panic had started to appear. He didn’t seem to have a ready answer for that. He'd probably not given it a moment’s thought. Arthur was a creature of habit. He needed his routines, would be lost without them. The children had left home and he clearly rarely thought about them anymore. And what was she to Arthur now? The one remaining habit and routine that he would be lost without? That wasn’t enough for Camilla. It wasn’t nearly enough.
“We’re good together,” suggested Arthur.
Were they? Maybe once.
“I need you to be more present, Arthur. We need to do things together.”
“I can do that,” he replied.
She paused, then said, “And I think maybe you need to see a therapist. To work through a few things.”
She’d thought he’d laugh this off as silly or shut down completely. Disappear to the shed maybe. But he didn’t.
Instead he gave her a resigned nod.
“You agree?” She couldn’t quite believe it.
“I’m already seeing one. I had my first session a couple of days ago…”
He clearly wasn’t lying, he wasn’t good enough at it.
“… it got me thinking about you and the kids.”
That was a first. Camilla waited for more but that seemed to be it. There was a rather forlorn look on Arthur’s face now though, one she hadn’t seen in years. It reminded her of him as a younger man. Perhaps there was some hope.
“That’s great Arthur, I’m really pleased.” She leant forward and took his hands in hers. “We’re going to have to share more of our lives with each other, make decisions together. I need to tell you more about my writing and books.”
“I’ve read them. I like them.”
That made Camilla smile. Arthur reading her books felt like some kind of miracle. Maybe they really could be together again.
She said, “And I want to know more about what you’re doing too. Tell me about what you’re doing in the shed.”
Arthur pulled his hands back and leant back in his chair. “You don’t want to hear about all that.”
“I do, Arthur. It’s important.”
“It’s just something I’m experimenting with.”
His tone had become more defensive again.
“Why won’t you tell me? Is it dangerous?”
“Of course not.”
“It isn’t some kind of weapon your building is it?”
He looked down at his lap. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
Camilla stood up. “Look at me, Arthur.”
He did.
“I want you to show me.”
Arthur was looking panicky again. “Honestly, it’s such a mess in there at the moment.”
“I want you to show me now. Or I’m leaving and I’m not coming back.”
The words came out before Camilla had thought them through, but just saying them emboldened her. She meant it. In fact she was about ready to walk out the door that very moment. It was right to push him. This was something they had to do together if she was going to come back.
He stood up. “Ok, I’ll show you now.”
---
Who organised a work meeting at a TGI Friday’s? In Leicester Square?
Gibson, that was who.
Jacob arrived with Kinga to find Gibson at the table already, surrounded by half-eaten appetisers and sharer plates and a round of margaritas on the table. It looked like he’d been there a while. He was hoovering up the last of his drink with a straw but had another lined up to follow. He looked up and waved them over. The place was crowded with families and tourists and was incredibly noisy. Why couldn’t they meet at the office like normal people? Gibson never visited Seed One Capital though. He’d probably claim it was due to security and not wanting to undermine his role as an independent contractor. But that was bullshit. He was just a big kid who was bored with his move from the intelligence services to the private sector.
Gibson insisted they finished eating before they got down to business. Kinga watched him work his way through a plate of chicken wings and about a dozen napkins in the process, a look of distaste on her face. I’m not eating that fucking shit was all she would say, before ordering herself a salad. Jacob picked at a couple of plates but everything was barely warm by now and pretty gross. He decided to ditch the food and stick with a margaritas instead, which were surprisingly good.
“What have you got for us?” asked Kinga, she was clearly starting to lose patience.
“Hold on just a couple of minutes,” Gibson replied.
A moment later a chorus of happy birthday started up behind them.
“Fucks sake,” said Kinga.
Jacob twisted round to see two members of the staff with big beaming smiles carrying a large creamy looking dessert with half a dozen candles and a couple of lit sparklers sticking out of it. They were singing with gusto and the rest of the restaurant was starting to join in.
And they were heading straight for him.
“Oh Jesus.”
He looked over to Gibson who had a massive grin on his face. The giant dessert arrived behind Jacob just as the song got to Happy birthday dear… Jacob… (Gibson joined Kinga in singing Yakob) and then ended with a rousing final chorus of Happy birthday to you. The whole room erupted into a round of applause.
“Aren’t you going to blow the candles out?” asked Gibson.
Jacob said, “I’m good.”
The staff were staring at him expectantly.
“Just blow the fucking candles out,” suggested Kinga.
He did.
The guy who was holding the pudding placed it in front of Jacob along with some side plates and forks. The girl handed him a colouring book and a box of crayons with an apologetic look.
“I’m sorry, I was told you would like these… I thought you’d be younger.”
And then they were gone.
“You do know it’s not my birthday until September,” said Jacob.
Gibson shrugged and spooned a large helping of the dessert onto a plate for himself, licking off a big dollop of cream that got stuck on his thumb in the process.
“It’s free if you have a birthday. Might as well dig in.”
The guy really was an asshole.
But Jacob still took a big helping of dessert all the same.
“Enough of this shit,” announced Kinga. “What have you got on New Mexico?”
Gibson wiped the smile off his face. He seemed to know well enough when Kinga’s patience had worn thin and he needed to switch to a more professional mode.
He kept on eating though.
“I’m not sure what birthday boy is getting us all into here,” he waved his spoon in Jacob’s direction, “but this is some pretty serious stuff.”
“Meaning?” asked Jacob.
“The US ran a pure fusion nuclear weapons project from the early fifties through to the late nineties. That much is a matter of public record.”
“What’s pure fusion,” asked Kinga.
Jacob knew she hadn’t been listening to Winterbourne’s technical presentation. She wasn’t into the science, just wanted the financials.
“Layman’s terms?” replied Gibson, “It’s a way of making nukes cheap, portable and easy to make.”
“That doesn’t sound like a great idea,” observed Kinga.
Jacob tried to not think about Bella.
“No, it doesn’t,” agreed Gibson. “The programme was officially abandoned in 1998. The US government claimed it was technologically impossible. But that was only half the story. It also went against the non-proliferation treaties of the time.”
“1998 was a year before Arthur went to New Mexico,” said Jacob. “How is this relevant?”
“Because it seems the programme was continued in secret, with a much smaller group working in an underground facility hidden in the New Mexico desert. That was who Arthur was working for.”
“You’re certain of this?” asked Kinga.
“I’ve spoken to a couple of people involved and seen some paperwork I shouldn’t have. Yes, I’m pretty sure.”
“So Arthur could be some kind of crazy English Oppenheimer,” said Kinga, looking at Jacob.
It was as if she hadn’t listened to the briefing at all. “I told you he was a weapons engineer and his technology was based on nuclear fusion.”
She stared back at him coldly. “I don’t remember you using the word bomb.”
“Hey girls, quit fighting.” Gibson seemed to be enjoying watching the conversation. “Arthur’s no Oppenheimer, he was brought in to do some kind of technical grunt work on the margins. Offsite half the time.”
“So where the fuck is he getting his ideas from?” Kinga was looking at Jacob again.
All he could do was shrug. “Maybe it’s not even connected.”
She turned to Gibson. “What’s the legal risk, if we go ahead?”
“You still think it’s a good idea?” He was shaking his head sadly. “You didn’t grow up with the 80s did you? Protect and survive. Where the wind blows. Nuclear nightmares. You missed all that.”
Kinga was glaring at Gibson now. “Fuck you, try growing up surrounded by bloody communists in Hungary. That was a fucking nightmare day and night...”
It was fun watching someone else bearing the brunt of her displeasure.
“… What’s the position if we do go ahead?” Kinga asked again.
“I checked with legal and it’s a grey area,” replied Gibson. He was back to his pudding now. “This programme didn’t officially exist and Arthur wasn’t officially a part of it. Unofficially it failed and was a huge embarrassment. The chance of them coming after you in the courts is minimal, even if Arthur was using technology from the programme. Anyway, it was twenty years ago, it would be hard to prove the link even if they tried.”
“We shouldn’t be thinking of the US government as a threat anyway,” suggested Jacob. “They’re a potential customer.”
Gibson didn’t seem too sure about this, but Kinga looked intrigued.
“Anyway, it’s not the legal risk I’m worried about,” said Gibson.
“What do you mean,” asked Kinga.
“The programme didn’t just fail. It blew up. Literally. In the middle of the night. The whole facility was destroyed. There’s probably a lot more to this that we don’t know about. It’s a potential security issue.”
“Jesus, what happened?” asked Jacob.
All he could think about now was Bella and the shed.
“We don’t know for sure. There was an internal enquiry. They blamed the lead physicist who died in the explosion. Something about a psychological breakdown. Reputation torn to pieces. A real hatchet job to be honest, but it was clean. Hard to defend yourself when you’re dead.”
“You trust your sources on this?” asked Kinga.
“I wouldn’t bring it to you if I didn’t,” replied Gibson. He sounded a little offended. “The facts check out. I spoke to the Director of Operations for the whole programme. He’s a professor at MIT now.”
Kinga was mulling this over. Jacob had a bad feeling about it.
Finally she said. “Why don’t we bring him on as a consultant?”
“Risky,” said Gibson.
“We’ll just have to be careful then, won’t we,” she replied.
Jacob was glad Gibson had jumped in and objected. It meant he didn’t have to. It was bad enough having Winterbourne sniffing around Arthur. Having someone else would make life even more difficult. Maybe Gibson was right anyway, maybe this whole thing was a mistake. But Jacob couldn’t say that now, he’d been the one to push it, and now it looked like Kinga was well on board, there was nothing he could do.
Kinga turned her attention to Jacob. “And you need to talk to your new friend, Arthur Price. Find out what happened and everything he knows.”
“We’re going ahead with the deal then?” asked Jacob.
“Of course we’re going ahead,” replied Kinga. “Close it. As soon as possible.”
Jacob asked Gibson. “What was he called? The dead physicist.”
Gibson grabbed his phone and checked his notes.
“She,” he replied. “Her name was Elizabeth Chambers.”
---
Camilla followed Arthur out to the shed. It was cold and drizzling. She’d thought about going back into the house to get something to cover up but didn’t want to risk breaking the spell and have Arthur change his mind. She shivered while he fiddled with the lock then raised the door.
He said, “Don’t worry, it’ll be warmer once we’re inside.”
The lights flickered a few times then sprang into life, flooding the place with a harsh unnatural light as the door closed back down like a portcullis. It was indeed warmer inside but Camilla was still shivering. She’d had no idea what to expect, maybe a workbench with some tools and a few electrical what-nots about the place. But their old garage was full of all manner of alien things. What stood out most were the containers labelled as hazardous materials, and the rubber yellow suit hanging on the wall that you’d only expect to see in science fiction movies. Maybe Angela was right after all.
“What on Earth is it you’re doing in here?” Camilla asked.
The lights flickered like they had when first turned on. Then cut out, plunging the room into complete darkness, before coming back on a few moments later. Arthur stared up at them with a confused look on his face. He seemed distracted and was mumbling, not one of his usual vices.
She tried again, “Arthur, are you going to show me what you’ve been working on?”
“Of course.”
He rolled up the rug from the floor to reveal the door in the floor, then went to the wall and tapped a few numbers into a keypad.
The door started to roll back.
The lights flickered again.
Arthur said, “I’m sorry, I have to.”
At least that’s what it sounded like. He’d mumbled it again and it didn’t look like he wasn’t even talking to her.
“What was that?” she asked.
The lights flickered again. The door in the floor stopped halfway through opening. Then the lights went out. Camilla let out a small yelp. She normally thought herself a level headed sort of person but she couldn’t help it. She was in this alien place and suddenly everything had died around them. She couldn’t see anything and there was no sound at all, even the background electric hum had gone.
“What’s happening, Arthur?”
“The power’s out.”
“So get me out of here. Now.”
Her voice rose almost to a panic. She couldn’t help it.
“I need to get the power back on. The door’s on a motor. It may take a while.”
Arthur found a torch and used the light to work on the electrics, so Camilla was left in complete darkness. She had nothing to do but think of all the calamities that might befall them: explosions, chemical burns, radiation leaks. Arthur was making encouraging noises as he worked, should be dome in a moment, but it only made things worse. Angela’s words echoed around her mind incessantly. He could blow up the whole house. It had seemed a little far-fetched at the time, but now entombed in the darkness and silence of the shed it felt all too possible. Panic was building inside of her, a feeling she was struggling to control.
Let me out. Let me out. Let me out.
---
It took a good half an hour and some really strong sweet tea for Camilla to finally calm down. They were back in the kitchen with Arthur fussing around asking if she was ok, which didn’t help. The longer she was silent, the more he fussed.
Finally she said, “Arthur, I’ve had an offer from Netflix to turn my books into movies.”
He went to the kitchen cupboards, got out a packet of biscuits and offered Camilla one. She declined. Camilla never had biscuits with tea, and Arthur knew that very well. He always did something like this when he was finding a situation difficult to process.
“That’s nice,’ he said eventually. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“I’m telling you now. I turned them down. But they came back with more money and offered me a job in development. They’ve invited me out to California in two weeks’ time.”
Arthur started at her.
She said, “Don’t you have anything to say?”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Of course you don’t. So I’ll say it. I’m going to tell them no. I’m going to stay here with you. Because that’s what I really want. But only if you want it too. Only if you give up whatever it is you’re doing in that shed and we do things together again. But you have to take it all down and get rid of it. Otherwise I’ll go.”
Arthur looked out of the window towards the shed.
Then back to Camilla.
He opened his mouth to say something, then stopped.
Camilla waited.
Nothing.
She picked up her bag and left.
That’s it for Chapter 7, I hope you enjoyed it and are looking forward to more. Chapter 8 will be out the same time next week, Friday at 4:00pm UK time.
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I am really enjoying the continuing mystery surrounding Elizabeth…I also love the humour in the novel so far… looking forward to seeing where the story goes!