I thought the people loved me.”
Last words of Wilhelm Gottsreich Sigismund von Ormstein, Grand Duke of Cassel-Falstein and King of Bohemia.
CHAPTER 65 THE TRAILER
Marlow Bates drove along another row of cars till Victor Trevor said “There, over there. next row, there's one pulling out. Look there.”
“Yeah I see, but how?” Marlow Bates looked through the rain at an unbroken wall of parked cars.
“You'll have to drive round again the whole way and hope that space is still free when you get there.”
“Yeah, this is all we bloody need.” He was revving the engine too fast and breaking sharply, round the last bend and it was still empty “Thank Christ.” He pulled in. “Late enough already without having to spend bloody ages looking for parking. Jesus. They used to have reserved places for visitors.”
“I remember,” said Victor Trevor, getting out and putting on a rain coat.
They displayed their parking permit, got their bags and set off through the puddles.
“I'm not looking forwards to this,” said Victor. “Not a bit.”
“Well it's hardly our bloody fault is it. It's us who have to put it right.”
“Is that one of our guys?”
“Could be. Looks like he's running to the NAAFI,” said Marlow Bates “Maybe getting biscuits for our meeting.”
“Yeah.” the two men walked up the steps and into the huge entrance hall. There used to be an MOD policeman at a desk here who would tell you where to go, but he had been cut back. Then there was a telephone you could use to phone the department you were visiting and they could send someone down to show you the way. But it was broken.
“There's a notice pinned up here,” said Victor “Says our meeting is on the second floor of the left hand wing.”
“Come on then.” They plodded up the stairs asked a few passers by who said they'd only just joined and didn't know their way round yet, and along a balcony round the entrance hall, then up some more stairs. “Could be down here. I think I was here before,” said Marlow Bates.
“Yes. This is it.” Victor opened the door. “Hallo there, sorry we.....”
“No not yet. Could you both wait outside. We're just finishing off our Phase Three TLB.”
“Oh, all right.” Victor closed the door.
“What was that?” asked Marlow.
“They want us to wait outside while they finish off something else.”
“Oh God. They are not going to make this easy. Jesus.” Marlow Bates slowly walked along the corridor, and then back “God almighty. It is not our fault.”
“Of course not.” agreed Victor.
The conference room door opened. A few people came out with their papers and laptops, chatting till they saw Victor and Marlow Bates. Then they smiled politely and walked off.
“They know,” said Marlow. “They all bloody know.”
“But they aren't blaming us,” said Victor “They looked more sympathetic to me.”
“All right then you two.” It was George Lewis the Assistant Under Secretary, AUS-Space “You'd better come on in.”
Marlow Bates walked stiffly up to the long table and was going to sit next to a well built blond, but his confidence deserted and he sat one seat away.
Victor, knowing his priorities walked slowly past the coffee table and noted all the best biscuits had gone. He grabbed a few broken digestives and sat besides the blond.
She smiled, and Victor smiled back.
“All right then,” said George Lewis. “Well most of the big shots are too busy to be here, so I'm the Chairman.” He paused while everyone smiled at his saying he wasn't a big shot himself. Or was it a subtle put down, meaning I'm not a big shot so you must be nothing at all. “And I'd like to thank those of you who could make it. I believe we all know each other, and it's good to see old faces Like Marlow Bates and Victor back here again.”
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