Adventure 2016

Chapter 18: two plans.

"Who are you?" Jenny asked.

"Captain Barbaloo, of Norfolk Square. I suggest you come quickly and quietly. And don't think of calling out, or I'll have to carry out plan B."

"What's plan B?" Jenny asked.

"Death. I'm afraid." The pigeon bobbed its head. "A quick death though. Quick and feathery."

The bird made it sound like a quick and feathery death was something to be coveted.

"Don't you know who I am," Elf began. But Jenny put a hand on Elf's shoulder to stop her. She didn't want to let the pigeons know that Claudia was still alive.

"Yes, I do." Captain Barbaloo said. "You are spies, and enemies of his majesty. And you must pay for your crimes."

"They won't be paying for their crimes yet," Zen's leapt from the groyne wall and landed lightly between the girls and the captain, his pike held casually over his shoulder. "Not until they've paid me what they owe, anyway."

"Out of the way, rat," the captain said. "This has nothing to do with your kind."

Zen didn't reply. Well, not with words. He did, however whip his pike round at the bird. It was a lightning fast move, and would have taken the pigeon's head clean off, had the bird not bobbed it back just in time. As it was, the tip of the pike caught the top of the bronze helmet. When metal struck metal it made a sound like a tiny bell being rung, and the helmet flew off the bird's head and over the groyne wall into the sea.

"Next time it'll be your head flying into the water," Nez said. "And before any of you other birds think you can take me, I'd have a look behind you."

The captain and a few of the other birds turned their heads. Three more rats sprang over the wall. To Jenny's surprise it was the three axe-rats from the sewer. Their axes were ready in hand, and they were grinning at the captain.

Using the half distraction, Zen took two steps forward and kicked the rear of the captain hard, like a rugby player converting a try. The bird let out a shriek, and, lifted as much by the kick as its own wings, took off into the night. The other pigeons took the cue, and followed their captain.

The axe-rats looked at each other, and then fell about laughing.

"Enough!" Zen barked. "Those birds might be back with reinforcements. Let's get under cover."

The four rats and two girls quickly left the groyne. At the bottom of the stairs, Zen scolded the girls.

"Great minds think alike, but next time, think about protecting yourself before doing your reconnaissance. Birds love open skies. Stay out of them."

"Those other rats, aren't they the ones you fought in the sewer?" Jenny asked. "And you've persuaded them to fight with you?"

"Ahhh, lassie," Nez said. "It wasn't personal, just for money. They're decent lads. As long as you pay them well, that is!"

And he scurried off into the dark of the pier, leaving them to make their own way back to Elf's house.

They did not get all the way back to Elf's however. Claudia cut them off at the pass. Well, the passage - Gloucester passage. They followed her up to the same old railway bridge that they'd first seen the Empress of the Six Dials on.

They told her about the seagulls. And the pigeons. And the rats.

"I told you to stay under cover." Claudia said sternly. "And I'm surprised that rat helped you. It must have some other motive. Hmmmmm."

The girls asked about the pigeon plans.

"It seems the fat bird is not as stupid as he looks," Claudia said. "I had to squeeze a few feathers, but the song was similar enough from several sources that it sounded sincere. They're hitting the pier from both sides. Literally."

It turned out that the pigeon's plan was in two parts. One of them involved hijacking a boat. Not just any boat, but a firework boat that would be holding enough fireworks for the largest display in Europe. Unfortunately that meant enough explosives power to seriously damage the pier.

"Can they do it?" Elf asked.

"It's a boat, out in the sea. There's a lot of pigeons. I've no doubt that they can drag it off course and under the pier. Then they can launch the fireworks straight up at the seagulls."

"And straight up at the mega grotto," Jenny added.

The second part of the plan sounded, frankly, ridiculous. Jenny could barely bring herself to say it out loud.

"You're saying," she said, trying not to laugh. "That the pigeons have found a way to make their droppings highly flammable by eating spicy food. That's preposterous!"

And she and Elf did start laughing. But they did not laugh for long in front of the straight-faced feline.

"If you'd heard the voices of the birds that I questioned," she said while flexing the claws in one paw. "You would not be so amused. When you were looking around the pier, I suppose bird muck was on your list of things to look out for?"

The two girls looked at each other. If the pigeons really had found a way to give their poo pyrotechnical abilities, then the pier would go up like a rocket. If there was one thing that you could count on coating all and every external surface in Brighton, it was bird poo.

"So how can we stop King Pigeon?" Jenny asked.

"Clean the pier?" Elf suggested.

"The boat is the key," Claudia said. "It is the spark that will light up the pier. You need to protect the boat, and keep it away from the pier. Or hope for a storm, or something that will cancel the fireworks."

"Let's tell James," Jenny said. "He might come up with something. Can we meet at yours later?"

"Sure," Elf shrugged. "It's Friday, my parents will be out until very late."

Jenny messaged James. He said he'd try to sneak out after bedtime. His mum was still angry, so he'd have to make sure that he wasn't caught. Jenny left Elf and headed out into the garden, through the fence and back to hers.

On the short walk home she felt a little scared. She kept looking up at the sky, and over her shoulder, an even down at the gutters. Paranoia.

***

That same feeling was still with her when she was sneaking out of her house at eleven o'clock at night. After a few steps of fearful glances she started jogging, Then running. And finally sprinting. She arrived at Elf's front door out of breath.

Someone was already there though, waiting by the door. It was James.

"Hi Jenny," he said. "I've knocked quietly, but I don't want to attract attention."

Jenny wanted to get off the street as fast as she could. She hammered on the door until they heard Elf dragging the chair out of the way, and heaving the broken door open. Only once she was inside and the door was barricaded again did Jenny feel safe.

Elf had made hot chocolate. In big mugs that were more like bowls. All three children sat at the big table in the kitchen sipping. Claudia was out again. They told James what had happened to them and King Pigeon's plan.

"Well," James said. "It's good that Zen is going to work for us. But I've no idea how we can possibly stop a firework boat loaded with a display for the mega grotto."

They talked and talked. About the seagulls and the pigeons. About rats and cats. About a King Under the Fort that wasn't interested, and a bunch starlings that wouldn't help. As they talked it all through they added the extra members of the Green Hands Gang that James had recruited.

And after all that talking the seeds of an idea began to emerge. And then a plan started to form. A difficult plan. Dangerous too. But after they'd worked it out, they all agreed that it was not as ridiculous as flammable bird poo.