Operation Barghest - Part Two
Or, sneaky, sneaky
Previously - Rebbecca Brenner, reporter, tried to convince Dr. Douglas Telford, formerly of the magical arm of MI6 known as Le Croix du Sangre or simply the Cross, that the Army is up to some hijinks regarding the Fae. Specifically, they are trying to weaponize fairy creatures. This breaks at least one contract with the Faerie King Oberon and probably a few articles of war. She manages to get his attention and now the pair head to Cawdor Castle to investigate her claims.
The next morning was as overcast and gloomy as they got in this part of Scotland. Douglas hadn’t slept all night. In truth he rarely slept for more than a few hours a day. He felt energy come from the earth through the soles of his feet. He was as ready as he could be. All that remained was the presence of the young Ms. Brenner.
In the distance he could hear the blat of a car’s engine. His only mode of transportation was the Triumph motorcycle; covered in the small barn out back. If she hadn’t shown, he would have made the ride to Cawdor on the motorcycle. It wouldn’t have been comfortable, but that hardly concerned him. He was tempted to propose they travel on it, just to see her reaction.
She pulled up in a Daimler touring car. It looked to be in excellent condition. He knew little about such things. He preferred horses when he could ride them, but they tended to draw more than flies when he was around. He got tired of dealing with pranksters who rode his animals to death. They weren’t interested in horses of the iron variety, so he made do with the Triumph. Being cooped up in a car didn’t interest him at all. It would make for a more comfortable ride though.
She stepped from the car and he could see she took him at his suggestions. An unadorned dark brown narrow skirt and jacket made her look very serious. He also noted her sensible shoes. If they had to do any running, she looked capable. Somehow she also managed to make the whole ensemble look quite fetching.
“Ms. Tanner.” he addressed her by her cover name.
“Dr. Telford.”
He wore a tweed three piece suit, years out of fashion and patched in a few places, along with a stout pair of boots and topped off with a homburg. His wand was up his left sleeve, and he carried a stout blackthorn shillelagh with a cold iron ball at its head. These were his only “arms”. He had a sense that under her coat, she also carried at least one weapon. “Do you have a gun, Ms. Tanner.”
The look on her face served as an answer.
“I would recommend when we arrive you leave it in the car.”
“Of course, but what if...”
“My dear, if it comes to needing strength of arms, we will have failed. I will give you something.” He reached down to a bag at his feet and drew out a stiletto. Sharp only at its point, the cold iron weapon had a silver wrapped hilt. It was cruciform, though the guard was narrow, the whole thing only the length of his hand. “You may carry this. I do not think they will be able to detect it unless they search you bodily. If they do, then they will take it and that will be that. If not, you may find it more useful than a gun against any enemies we may face.”
She took the proffered weapon and held it a bit clumsily. “Yes, Doctor. I’ve brought a camera with me. Will I be able to capture the Fae on film? There isn’t a consensus. At least not one that I can find.”
Douglas chuckled. “Yes. You’ll be able to capture them on film. Some magic can interfere with your cameras, but if you can see a creature with your eye, you can take a picture of it.” He picked up his bag. “Shall we?”
She opened the rear door for him, playing the part of chauffeur.
He chuckled again. “I’ll ride up front with you. We have much to discuss and the time to do it.” He circled around to the passenger side and climbed in. The interior smelled of rich leather and petrol.
She climbed in the driver’s side and brought the engine to life.
He was a bit afraid the next few hours would be interminable. Would she bombard him with questions? When he laid out the plan would she question him at every turn? Neither was the case, it turned out. They spent the first twenty minutes in companionable silence. The wireless was on, bringing them news from around the Empire. There was talk of an uprising in the southern half of the American colonies. Such talk happened every so often, particularly when taxes got a little bump as they had lately.
The announcer shifted to talk about the aboriginal natives renegotiating one of the many treaties in place. This one allowed Russia to maintain their foothold in the northwest. The Russkies hadn’t held up their end when it came to tribute. Mercifully, Rebecca dialed it to an all music broadcast. Douglas had little stomach for international politics.
“So, Dr. Telford, what is the plan once we arrive?”
“I took the opportunity last night to work up some admission papers. According to our cover story, I have been called out from retirement to active duty on a mission of extreme importance. There is a leak of information from the research facility that the Ministry wishes to be investigated.”
He heard a sudden intake of breath from the driver’s seat. “Isn’t your story a little too close to the truth?”
“The more plausible the story is the better. Don’t worry. We won’t risk your confidant’s identity. My papers set this as a Code Geist operation, the highest security clearance there is. Only the Queen can bestow that level of clearance on someone.”
“Code Geist? I’ve never heard of it.”
“Of course you haven’t. Neither will anyone working at the Castle. It doesn’t exist, officially, or at all depending on who you ask.”
“What? Well won’t they see through your subterfuge?”
Douglas chuckled. “My dear, I’ve known my share of bureaucrats over the years. If you make something look official enough and play the ‘need to know’ card, nine times out of ten it will work. I’ve been away for some time, but I know how to play the game. Trust me, Sir William, the officer in charge at Cawdor, will take the bait provided we don’t push too hard.”
She nodded. “I trust you. So how do we get in to the labs?”
“Our entry will be a little trickier. I intend to play that somewhat by ear and hope for one or possibly both of us to slip off, under cover of one of my spells. I’d imagine that no amount of talk will allow us to get inside the labs, unless William is a complete fool.”
“I’ve met my share of bureaucrats too, Doctor. I’ll hold out hope for foolishness.” She laughed, reminding him of a leanan sídhe he had known in his youth. The beautiful faerie had intoxicated him for days, feeding on his life force. The whole affair was nearly his undoing.
A few hours later they came in sight of the castle. The modest stone structure squatted on a hill in the near distance. Growing up in the area, he had long ago given up the romance most boys associated with the word. Castles were drafty affairs, and the ancient ones were piles of rock. Looking at them with the Sight was often a different matter. Some glowed with stored power. He expected that this one would look foreboding, covered in wards and all manner of mystic protections. When he looked, he was rather surprised.
There were no protections visible to his mystic eye. He wasn’t sure whether he should be upset or frightened. Then he thought about it. Such guards and wards could send up a red flag to most mystical creatures in the area. The ancient stones gave off a warm orange glow, competing with the daylight. They would be enough of a draw without shining a spotlight on them.
Modern protections were definitely in evidence. As they neared the turnoff to the driveway, he could see sandbagged gun emplacements. Pre-fabricated fencing and other blockades to unwanted vehicles also stood in place. A young man in an Army uniform held out his left hand, while his right kept an Enfield rifle at the ready. Douglas was sure a number of other guns and a wand or two were trained on them at this moment.
Rebecca brought the car to a stop, slowly. Her hands gripped the steering wheel firmly, not quite whitening the knuckles. Her resolve was set.
The soldier came to the back of the car and gestured for Douglas to roll down the window. When he complied the soldier barked, “Your business here, sir?”
“Sir Douglas Telford, M.D. and D.M.S., here to see Sir William on a most urgent matter.” He was a little disappointed to see neither his name nor his titles seemed to register on the young man’s face.
“Your papers, sir.” He held out his hand.
Douglas placed a roll of vellum in the young man’s hand.
The wax seal, a ram’s head bearing a crown, along with the roll itself, got the man’s attention. Both denoted a matter of extreme urgency and were reserved for mystical communiqués of crown importance only. As was policy, the soldier snapped a brass monocle down from his helmet. After a split second, he shook his head. “Just a moment, Sir Telford. I’ll call up to the house.” He returned the scroll to Douglas and jogged up the road to the guard shack.
“What was all that about?”
“The scroll is marked 'Eyes Only' for the Ministry representative here. It seems to match up with their current protocol. Given that there are no explosives or metaphysical threats in this car above a class three, we will get waved through.”
“Seems to?”
“Yes. It’s a bit of a glamour on my part, one their standard hardware didn’t pick up on.”
“Risky.”
“My dear lass, you came to me because of my expertise. If I can’t craft a glamour to fool mystical hardware created by the lowest bidder then it’s time to hang up my wand.”
A pair of soldiers appeared and pulled back the barrier that served to block the castle’s driveway. They were waved through.
“First level of security breached.”
