The Darkness Below

Chapter Sixty - 1970

Grace sped along the street and grinds the gears as she changes down rashly. Grace has never been so torn and uncertain but her and John agreed this was the best course of action in order to deal with Smith, the man thought dead and literally buried. Grace calms her mind and tries to focus on the task at hand, driving, for if she crashes and dies on the journey to South Ham she won't be much use in dealing with Smith or helping John. Preventing the Centre Point Tower from being blown up and causing World War Three were also good reasons to drive with more care but Grace was struggling to think past John's safety.

*

First step was to arrive in South Ham; second step was to find Smith. Grace was confident she would recognise Smith based on John's description, a dishevelled man with dirt on his face and clothes with his head at a strange angle no doubt due to the attack and damage inflicted by Vince Taft.

Grace didn't know what Vince Taft looked like and she was nervous she might run in to him. Once she found Smith she would need to be quick as she didn't want to risk being seen with Smith by Vince Taft.

From John's description of Smith's behaviour it sounded to Grace like he was suffering some form of amnesia and post traumatic shock. Grace's aunt had been a nurse during the war and Grace had always taken great interest in her stories and spent some time watching her at work during her school holidays after the war.

Whilst Grace was not a trained nurse she knew a fair amount from this experience and knew that the syringe she held with its powerful narcotics would take care of the Smith. Grace knew the best place to stab Smith with in order to speed up its effects.

Whilst keeping a look out for Vince Taft she looked through all the standard places you might expect a man sleeping rough to be, the bus stops, shop doorways, the train station out buildings but Grace could not find the man anywhere. Grace was determined and carried on looking.

*

John walked briskly up the escalator to the ticket hall of Tottenham Court Road Underground Station and went straight into the Rec Room to see if anyone was on break. Two guys John knew quite well were sitting talking over a snack and John said hello and listened to the excitement. The staff are abuzz with gossip of the strange Police Officers whom had visited the night before and carried out a clumsy search of the Station Managers office. The staff were all speculating that the strange Police man who went by the name of Mr Harris probably worked for MI5. The fact he left the station via the "Top Secret" tunnels certainly lent credence to this theory.

John was startled, he felt the web was closing in on him and worse of all Grace had come up with a crazy but brilliant idea which put her on the front line and could end up with her dead or in jail. John knew she was right in that she would be better at the task as there was no risk of Smith recognising her but he might recognise John. Also Vince wouldn't recognise Grace as he had never met or seen her.

John thought of heading off to South Ham to stop Grace, now that MI5 were probably involved it would be better to lay low as much as possible and reduce risk of suspicion. John thought about this idea for a while then realised that it was too late and if he was seen by Vince searching over South Ham it would make his suspicious.