"Isolated Incidents" : Part Three

Kimberly's car sits a few streets away from the pub. Kimberly sits in the driver's seat, Ben in the passenger seat and Theo in the back. The radio is on.

Radio: ...floods are now even more extreme and evacuations have been brought forward. Hurricane Wendy is now moving through Washington, causing widespread devastation and panic.The United Zones have now fully transferred all powers and treaties from the disbanded United Nations...

Ben: Can't we go back to the easy listening channel?

Kimberly: Hey, you're the one that needs to catch up on current events.

Ben: I've caught up. Honestly, they'll be on about the Mars colony next.

Radio: On lighter news, the first colonists have arrived at Biosphere One, establishing the first human foothold on Mars since the ill-fated...

Ben: See? So formulaic!

Kimberly: OK, OK.

Kimberly changes the station. "All Along The Watchtower" by Jimmi Hendrix plays. Eve hurries up to the car, opening another vial of blue liquid. She sips half of it, then gets into the car.

Theo: You ready to go, Eve?

Eve: (puts on belt) When you are.

Kimberly starts the engine. Ben frowns as he sees Eve quaff the rest of the vial and then, realizing he's noticed, drops into her hand bag. The car heads off down the road.


As the music plays, the car heads down a highway, then onto a smaller road. Patches of fog waft past the car as they move through the countryside.

Theo: Well, this is going to be a pleasant commute every day.

The car moves through a particularly dense patch of fog. Over the hillocks can be made a small mansion.

Ben: You ever see The Shining?

Eve: What?

Ben: Old movie. Stanley Kubrick. Jack Nicholson?

Theo: Some kind of musical, is it?

Ben: Never mind. This place, though...

Eve: (quickly) You're not seeing it at its best.

Ben: I should hope not. Makes the House of Usher look positively child-friendly!

Kimberly: Is that the one with Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmonsen?

Ben: (sighs) You lot make me despair about future generations, you really do.

Theo: Too late to worry about it now.

The car pulls up by a very rickety looking bridge over a dried up creek. Not far away, a cloaked figure steps out of the mists and ducks to the cover of a tree.

Theo: What are you stopping for?

Kimberly: I don't think that bridge will take the weight of the car. We can walk.

Ben: Oh, fantastic!

They start to disembark. The hooded head peers around the branch.

Theo: Wow. It's so quiet. We can't be that far from the motorway. We should be able to hear it.

Eve: Must be the fog.

Kimberly: I thought sound traveled faster in a fog?

Eve: (impatient) Well, then it must be something else.

Kimberly crosses to the skeletal bushes nearby.

Kimberly: Looks like autumn's come early.

She pulls down on the bush to peer past it, but it snaps and crumbles apart. Kimberly jumps back as the grass beneath implodes in dust.

Kimberly: What the hell?!

The others hurry over.

Eve: What happened?

Kimberly: It just crumpled apart, like it was burnt to a crisp...

Theo: (looking around) Not the only thing. All the plants are like that.

Ben: Some kind of blight?

Kimberly: That kills the trees too?

She thumps a small tree. The branches snap off.

Ben: I wish I had a geiger counter.

Eve: Why?

Ben: Just to be on the safe side. I'd hate to think we were being exposed to radiation right now.

Kimberly: (hopeful) We should be all right. If we leave now.

Eve: No! (softer) No, I mean, we came here for a job interview.

The hooded head moves out of view.

Ben: Eve, no offence, but I don't know if I'd want a job here.

Eve: I promised you'd turn up!

Ben: We did! Now we can go!

Theo: Look, if this place is radioactive, her Uncle should be told. Come on.

Theo crosses over the bridge, which groans under his weight. He frowns and looks ahead.

Theo: Wait a minute...

He takes a step forward. Eve spots something and cries out:

Eve: Theo, jump!

Theo does so - and just avoids having a bear trap snapping shut. The others hurry over.

Ben: A bear-trap! Your uncle doesn't like visitors, does he?

Eve: Must be a mistake...

Kimberly runs her hand over it.

Kimberly: It's in good nick. Doesn't even have any rust on it... so someone put it here for a reason.

Ben: Right, spooky atmosphere, radioactive vegetation, and now man traps. I think we might want to go.

Theo: Come on, Benji, where's your sense of adventure.

Ben: Died a slow death on the wooden planet of Archeron.

Theo: Fine. But there's some kind of crator on that hill I want to have a look at.

Theo heads off. Eve follows, as does Kimberly. Ben is left alone. Then, he shrugs and follows the others, muttering under his breath. The cloaked figure rises from behind the abandoned car.

The quartet head for the front door.

Kimberly: So, who is your uncle, anyway?

Eve: Sir Robert Markson. He's not famous. He's my father's brother, and, well, he's been looking after me ever since I came to Cardiff.

Ben: (frowns) When was that?

Eve: A while ago.

The door ahead of them opens. A medium sized man in a butler's uniform and a Karl Marx beard appears. This Voru, and he speaks with a German accent.

Voru: Ah, good evening, Miss Eve. Please, do come in.

Ben: You know there's a bear trap on your front path?

Voru: Indeed I do, sir, and observe none of you are hurt. Please, enter.

They head inside. The cloaked figure stands on the bridge, looking straight at the front door. Voru catches sight of the cloaked figure as mist wafts past. The figure is gone. Voru ducks inside and slams the door shut.


The dining room of the mansion. "The Last Wall of the Castle" by Jefferson Airplane plays on an antique record player. Voru leads in the group.

Ben: That man trap nearly cost my friend his leg.

Voru: He has two in what appear to be working order.

Ben: That is beside the point! What was it doing out there?

Voru: Such matters are beyond my purveiw, sir. No dout the master of the house will have the answer.

Kimberly: (politely) Can we see him?

A pleasant, balding man in an electric wheelchair glides from the electric fire.

Sir Robert: Ah, my dear Evelyn, how wonderful it is to see you again! And who are these delightful young friends of yours?

Eve: This is Ben Chatham, Kimberly Hoyle and this is Theo.

Sir Robert: Ah, Theo. Evelyn's been talking my ear off about you, I do hope you're taking care of my favorite niece.

Theo: (shakes his hand) I do my best, Sir Robert.

Sir Robert: Excellent. But I am being a terrible host. Welcome to Orpheus Manor. Fetch us some coffe, would you, Voru?

Voru: But of course, sir.

Voru leaves as the others take their seats near the fire.

Sir Robert: The cook is indisposed at the moment, but young Voru makes coffee so good I dare say the United Zones will declare it a banned substance soon. Yes, Theo, I don't suppose you can cook, can you?

Theo: A very limited repertoire. But my pizza ordering skills are second to none.

Sir Robert: (laughs) No doubt. Yes, but, er, I'm afraid we're a bit far out for Jubilee Pizzas to consider worthy.

Theo: You should ask my apprentice, young Benji.

Ben: (hisses) Don't call me Benji.

Sir Robert: So, Benji, can you cook?

Ben: Yes, but I try to eat healthy. I'm a vegetarian.

Sir Robert: Yes, well, I am not. Oh well. I suppose Voru's stuck with sandwich making.

Ben: What happened to the chef?

Sir Robert: Hmm? Oh, she's got some condition that's left her bed ridden. Just when the caretaker left without notice. Worst possible time, as you can imagine...

Ben: What sort of condition?

Sir Robert: Why do you ask?

Ben: Well, if we're going to be working here... I mean, if it was food poisoning and we work in the kitchen...

Sir Robert: Oh, nonsense, Benji. Nonsense. It's a disease, sort of chronic fatique syndrome except on top of that she's become allergic to sunlight. Whatever it is, it isn't catching.

Eve: Ignore him. He's a hypochondriac.

Voru returns with a tray of cups and a steaming urn.

Sir Robert: Ah, Voru, perfect timing.

Voru starts pouring them cups.

Theo: Er, Sir Robert?

Sir Robert: Yes, my boy?

Theo: I was just curious. The landscape outside...

Eve: Oh, don't bother about that, Theo.

Kimberly: No, it's just that all the plants seem to be dead and crumbling.

Sir Robert: Oh, part of this damn Greenhouse Crisis, I should think. You noticed that ditch blown out of the hill? Well, that was one of my inventions. It's my hobby... trying to get out of this blasted chair. Anyway, it didn't quite work. Caused a bit of an explosion and a fire, but Voru and the others were able to backburn it... Probably looks awful out there now?

Theo: I have seen nicer landscapes.

Sir Robert: Still, the seclusion means there are no neighbors to complain.

Ben: No one else at all?

Sir Robert: No, we're quite alone out here. Didn't Evelyn mention that?

Ben: (suspicious) No...

At that point there is a strange howling sound that last for a few seconds. Theo spills his coffee. Ben and Kimberly look around wildly.

Kimberly: What was that?!

Ben: It came from outside!


Outside, night is falling. The hooded figure stands before the door, its hooded head aimed at the sky. The howling noise is heard again...

- to be continued