Eugenicus II

By Paul S. Medland

The secret society called the 'Priory of Sion' has existed for many centuries and have controlled since time began all the other secret societies in our very long history from the Knights Templar; Rosicrucians; Skull and Bones and the Freemasons. They are far more powerful than the Bilderberg group or even the Illuminati, they pull the strings of governments and their leaders all around the world. Protected by their own very deadly 'Knights of Silence' they continue to cause mayhem and devastation in their goal to please the Guardian's and reduce the planet's population by ninety percent.

'Eugenicus II' continues the story of 'Eugenicus' the first book in the series.

Ever since young Hank's family were murdered, his abduction by the Priory of Sion's deadly Knights of Silence and the rescue from the mountain retreat that followed by the team of ex special forces, he had been hidden away by his aunt deep in the Australian outback. The Priory over the years since had restructured and built a new headquarters, unbeknown to them less than four hundred miles from the desolate farmstead that they now peacefully lived in.

Hank has grown up into a fine young man, extremely well educated by Philippe the Egyptologist; Symbologist and Linguistics Professor and also by his adopted mother Rose. Hank's deep need to expose those responsible for the death of his parent's and so many others of his family, urges him and Philippe to follow up various leads from around the world, but then they stumble across information on the Priory's next devastating plan of population reduction, a plan that is far more deadly than any they have attempted before. This time it is not just many thousands of people that will be killed, but the majority of the human race, a deadly evil plan they definitely can not afford to ignore.

After being chased around the world and some very close encounters by the deadly Knight's of Silence, Hank; Philippe and Hank's girlfriend Elise return to Australia and begin their fight to stop the Eugenical devastation planned by the members of the Priory of Sion. With the eventual help of Philippe's 'Old Boy Network' of military friends it eventually leads them to a war.

A war to save mankind!.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paul S. Medland
• Release date: Jul 20, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310527999

Paul S. Medland

The author has a wide background in the medical and care fields, previously working as a Physiological Measurement Technician specialising in Audiology; a Operating Department Assistant in a busy operating theatre; and spending many years in both the NHS and Private Ambulance Services as a Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). He also has qualifications in Health & Safety and has extensive background knowledge of working with Abuse, Learning Disabilities and Autism.He enjoys writing about a variety of subjects, both factual and fictional, Following giving up work due to illness, he uses his factual books to teach and to share his gained knowledge and experiences with others.He also has interests in the Unknown and unexplainable.. UFOs / ghosts / conspiracies etc. and in his fictional books mixes both fact and fiction (Faction), creating fictional stories but based in real places or with real people and events. Written in a way to make you think, but leaving you to make up your own mind.

Book preview

Paul S. Medland.

Copyright Paul S. Medland 2015

EUGENICUS II

Published at Smashwords

Smashwords License Statement

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people.

If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please delete and purchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

PREFACE

'Eugenicus II' continues the story of 'Eugenicus' the first book in the series.

The secret society called the 'Priory of Sion' has existed for many centuries and have controlled since time began all the other secret societies in our very long history from the Knights Templar; Rosicrucians; Skull and Bones and the Freemasons. They are far more powerful than the Bilderberg group or even the Illuminati, they pull the strings of governments and their leaders all around the world. Protected by their own very deadly 'Knights of Silence' they continue to cause mayhem and devastation in their goal to please the Guardian's and reduce the planet's population by ninety per cent.

Ever since young Hank's family were murdered, his abduction by the Priory of Sion's deadly Knights of Silence and the rescue from the mountain retreat that followed by the team of ex-special forces, he had been hidden away by his aunt deep in the Australian outback. The Priory over the years since had restructured and built a new headquarters, unbeknown to them less than four hundred miles from the desolate farmstead that they now peacefully lived in.

Hank has grown up into a fine young man, extremely well educated by Philippe the Egyptologist; Symbologist and Linguistics Professor and also by his adopted mother Rose. Hank's deep need to expose those responsible for the death of his parent's and so many others of his family, urges him and Philippe to follow up various leads from around the world, but then they stumble across information on the Priory's next devastating plan of population reduction, a plan that is far more deadly than any they have attempted before. This time it is not just many thousands of people that will be killed, but the majority of the human race, a deadly evil plan they definitely can not afford to ignore.

After being chased around the world and some very close encounters by the deadly Knight's of Silence, Hank; Philippe and Hank's girlfriend Elise return to Australia and begin their fight to stop the Eugenical devastation planned by the members of the Priory of Sion. With the eventual help of Philippe's 'Old Boy Network' of military friends it eventually leads them to war.

A war to save mankind!.

This fictional story of conspiracy contains some elements of truth, but what and how much is true, is left for you to think about and work out for yourself.

INDEX TO CHAPTERS

Chapter 1. The Homestead.

Chapter 2. Rebuilding The Fortress.

Chapter 3. Setting Off.

Chapter 4. Back to Roots.

Chapter 5. Painful Memories of the Farm.

Chapter 6. The Rescue of the Hostage.

Chapter 7. The Puzzle.

Chapter 8. London.

Chapter 9. The Battle of Bloomsbury.

Chapter 10. Pandora’s Box.

Chapter 11. Revelations on return to the Outback.

Chapter 12. Darwin.

Chapter 13. Pandora’s Box Opens.

Chapter 14. The Grand Opening.

Chapter 15. The End is Nigh!.

Chapter 16. The Retrieval.

Chapter 17. Calling In Favours.

Chapter 18. Boot Camp.

Chapter 19. All At Sea.

Chapter 20. The First Attack.

Chapter 21. And So It Begins.

Chapter 22. Time to Move.

Chapter 23. The Battle for Mankind.

Chapter 24. Time to Head Home.

Chapter 25. Loose ends.

A personal message from the author.

About the Author.

Acknowledgements.

Other books by this Author.

EUGENICUS II

Chapter One

The Homestead

Hank sat on the hot dry rock beside the clump of bushes that defined the turning point off the main road, shielding his eyes from both the strong lowering evening sunlight and the billowing clouds of dust that seemed to follow the never-ending straight piece of tarmac, the narrow greyish expanse of blistered and cracked hardness that trailed off into the distance until it merged into the red and golden sun. Unable to see much against the strong light he relied more on his hearing, waiting for the rough unmistakeable warbling sound of the small aeroplane that was due sometime soon. Time in the solitude of the Australian outback meant very little, they were too far from anywhere for any chance of punctuality, deliveries or visitors gave an estimated time of arrival but could then be many hours overdue. There may not have been any traffic jams on this deserted road, there was rarely any traffic at all, but there were many other things that could cause delay, overheating vehicles and breakdowns, animal strikes or the most common with these poorly maintained roads, unexpected punctures.

He sat with yet another handful of stones, throwing them one by one at a rusty old drink can that had been carelessly thrown out by a passing trucker some distant hot day before and was now balanced on a smaller rock on the other side of the road. Occasionally his aim met the mark and he would have to get up and cross the road to reset his target, it became a bit monotonous but it helped pass the long wait. At first, he wasn't sure if it was just a passing bird, a faint 'T' shape appeared in front of the distorting haze of the sun, moving left then right and then gradually growing in size, the dark shape suddenly dropped and appeared to follow the road as it became closer, after another minute he could hear the familiar unmistakeable throbbing and whine of the single-engine. The plane dipped to about thirty feet above the road and once the pilot had visually confirmed the location and the identifying presence of the old truck tucked just off the road, it suddenly rose again and passed over him. Circling in a large arc and now riding into the wind, it once again lined itself up with the hard surface of the tarmac, losing the remaining height and reducing engine power, it's lowered wheels soon made a double screech as the strong rubber made contact with the hard road surface. The plane braked until it was slow enough to swing off onto the adjoining dust track and come to a stop on a small flat clearing beside the pick-up truck. Cutting its engine, the propeller slowed to a complete stop and gradually the billowing dust cloud started to settle back down.

The small door of the Cessna swung open and two bare feet emerged from the entrance followed by a bare suntanned calf, then bright colourful flowery culottes topped the bareness leading up to the almost neon bright pink t-shirt. Tossing out a pair of light fawn coloured boots and reaching behind the pilot's seat for her bag, she jumped down onto the dusty earth and turned around to face him.

Well don’t stand there like a lemon, has living out here in the wilderness made you forget to be a gentleman? what does a lady have to do around here to get help with her bags?. Hank laughed and walking over he picked up the black well-cracked leather holdall and slung it over his shoulder. There's a box in the seat around the other side for Rose and some mail for Philippe, oh and some seedlings that Aunt Vi ordered the other month!, the girl told him as she sat on the edge of the planes tyre and put on her boots. Hank loaded the items into the rear of the pick-up truck along with the large boxes of groceries. Once she had slipped some wooden chocks under the wheels she walked over to join him in the truck. So then do I not get a welcome?, she asked removing her big curved sunglasses to reveal her deep blue eyes. Hank leaned over and kissed her, this game that they played of delaying this often proved difficult for both, sometimes several weeks went by between visits and this made them both very eager to be in each other's arms.

The girl searched her bag and found her cigarettes and lighting one she wound down the window blowing the smoke outside away from Hank. The truck rumbled and bounced over the unmade track often making her lose contact with her seat and yelp loudly. Hank chuckled and remembered the first time he had done this journey as a young boy, his Aunt Violet had collected them from the aeroplane with her rattly old pick-up and he had been amazed at how she found her way back to the homestead, at first everything had looked alike, yet now after many trips back and forth to the nearest road, now he too could see those invisible 'landmarks', the odd piles of rocks or the remains of a dwindling tree, a tell-tale Eucalyptus; a dried-up riverbed, or a skeleton of a long-deceased animal which made him suddenly turn the wheel and head off in yet another new direction.

We have almost finished clearing the strip beside the old river, but there is still one very large embedded rock we need to pull out, Philippe is going to help me pull it out with the old lorry over the weekend once we have dug around it, then you can land the plane beside the house and not have this bouncy drive.

It had taken the two of them many weeks of work to clear the landing strip, but once complete it would be far better and quicker for them to get supplies and they would not have to leave the aeroplane unattended miles away beside the main road. To land beside the house had been an impossible task due to the general unevenness of the land, there had also been many thick bushes and small trees in the way, each of which they had painstakingly moved and used to line the sides of the strip making it more visible from the air.

God Hank these boots make my feet feel so hot, I can't wear them at all when I am flying, but after my last visit to the farm and the damage those sharp pieces of flint did to my feet even through my trainers I decided to pick these up when I last went into the town. She raised both her feet onto the shelf just below the windscreen, both to give her some stability in the wildly rocking and bouncing truck and also to proudly show off her fancy new footwear.

We all need a trip to town soon, or better still up to the city, there are quite a few items we desperately need ourselves, Hank responded. Maybe soon and once the landing strip is finished you can fly us up there for a day or so.

I will need one of the bigger planes if I do, will the strip be big enough?

Oh yes, once finished you will be able to land a jet on it Hank chuckled, Philippe wanted it big enough to take a large cargo plane, you know so his old friends from the military can pay us a visit. The girl looked over at him and couldn't help but form a frown.

Mercenaries you mean, those men you told me about that saved you all?.

Mercenaries always seemed such a harsh word to Hank, it depicted people who killed for money, yet Philippe's friends were far from a murdering bunch, yes they had killed, he as a very young child had paid witness to that first hand, but it had been done 'for the good', they had done it to rescue him from the bad men, bad men who had killed most of his family and killed many more besides.

Hank had told her everything about what had gone on years before, but only once they all knew that they could trust her implicitly. Many years may have passed since their unexpected exile to the deserted outback of Australia, but the risks to their lives remained as much as ever. Life under false names was originally hard to cope with, it was hard for them not to slip up in front of others without realising they were doing it, but never letting down their guard had now become second nature to them all. They trusted only a very few select people, they queried all and everything they saw and questioned everyone's real intentions, twice! they had to after all their lives depended on it, they had lost enough as it was, most of their family had been murdered and taken from them and they did not want to lose anyone else.

Violet had driven herself over to the homestead earlier in the day, eager to collect the few items she had ordered many weeks before. Pleasures were few and far between in the harshness of life in the outback and even something like seedlings gave her a sense of excitement and a big smile. She sat with Rose waiting outside on the veranda, watching out for the tell-tale snake of dust along the far distant track that would let them now that Hank was returning. Philippe was inside the house taking a much-needed shower, he had spent the day working on the generators that gave them all their power and had emerged from the power shed at the back of the homestead covered in dust; grease and oil.

It's the anniversary tomorrow of Daisy's death did you remember sis?, Mum wants us all to get together for dinner, can you come over about two?. Violet asked as she poured them another cold iced drink and tossed her a cigarette.

How could I ever forget Vi, I still have nightmares about it, about all of it!.

Of course sis, I'm sorry, I forget sometimes that you were in the midst of it all, it was bad enough for all of us, but by god you had to deal with it all from the inside. You know I always thought I was the stronger of us three, but after what the two of you went through, I now know I trail a million miles behind you both, I would have totally gone to pieces at just a fraction of what you both had to handle.

*** *** ***

Oh wow a road, you and Philippe have been busy, the young girl exclaimed as the truck suddenly changed from the uneven and potholed track onto a more smoothed out road. Why has it stopped there like that Hank?.

Philippe has been using the old tractor, he made a sort of scraper to pull along behind the tractor, it was okay for the looser dirt and smaller stones but not strong enough to cope with the rest, he is hoping to borrow an old bulldozer from one of the construction companies working on the ‘Thesus Project’ over at Wilkinkarra, or Lake Mackay as you might know it. He wants to extend the road further in that direction over there, but he is waiting for his soldier friends to pay a visit first, as they are going to help us make a pontoon bridge over the bend in the small river about a mile to the south of here, once that is in place we can cut straight across and link back to the main track from there. It will save us from having to follow the river miles up and then back down again on the other side, it will reduce the distance to the main road where you left the plane by nearly twenty miles.

Oh Hank that will be super, especially with a smoother road, it won't take even half the time it does now will it!. Their conversation was cut short as the bright flickering reflection from the rapidly spinning wind turbine become visible in the far distance, reflecting the last of the day’s failing sunlight from the distant homestead.

The swirling dust snake kicked up behind them by the wheels of the truck had already alerted the two ladies of their impending arrival, Rose had already gone to put the kettle on to boil to make tea. It may have been a very English thing to do, but even though she had now been living in the outback for many years, it was a tradition both Rose and her parents found very hard to put behind them. The pickup truck meandered along the opposite side of the riverbed before crossing the small rickety wooden bridge they had built when they had first moved there. By the time Hank had pulled the old truck up outside, the kettle had begun it's high pitched squeal, whistling informing them it was boiling on the old cooking range.

Elise my dear, have you had a good journey?, I still find it so hard to believe that someone so young and so delicate as you can fly one of those aeroplanes. Violet stood up and hugged her as she climbed the few small steps onto the wooden veranda, before she was almost bowled over by her younger sister Rose who seemed to explode out of the kitchen doorway, welcoming Elise to her home.

Yes it was fine Aunt Vi, there were a few dust storms in places, so I just flew a bit higher than normal, but I soon found the roadway again. I have done it so many times now that I can almost do the journey with my eyes shut.

Don’t you go doing that young lady, we want you here in one piece, Rose threw her arms around her before dragging her through into the kitchen for tea. Philippe, Elise is here she shouted through the narrow doorway that led off to the attached living area, no sooner had she called him he appeared, he was very pleased to see her, although his mind was more interested in the redirected mail that she had brought for him.

*** *** ***

Elise was the youngest daughter of Samuel Gregg, the owner of a small airline company based on the outskirts of Derby, a town on the King Sound. His work was mainly the flying of supplies and occasional tourist groups the 500 miles across the ocean out to the islands of Timor and supplying an inland delivery and mail service. Elise was training to be a Doctor and had just recently started taking a gap year, to help out her father following an accident which currently prevented him from flying. Samuel had taught his daughter to fly when she was still in her early teens and for quite a few years now she had held a full pilots licence, she now had many flying hours under her belt and was more than competent flying a large range of his aircraft. When her father was able to return to flying then she would resume her final few months of training, then once fully qualified would start her secondment with the National Flying Doctor Service, and hopefully begin working in the deserted parts of the country that she loved.

Elise and Hank had met whilst at University, although Hank had received home tuition for most of his life from Philippe, as he grew older he had been enrolled with the University of New South Wales, at the start he had only participated online using the internet, but to take his final exams and gain his recognised certification in Linguistics he had spent a short time away at the 'UNDA' the University of Notre Dame Australia which was out in Broome on the western coast. Elise at the time had been attending the nearby Australian College of Rural & Remote Medicine and they had both met at an off-campus lecture after being paired up by the tutor to work together for the day. They had met up for a drink after the course and had soon developed a great friendship. Hank had hated being so far away from home and Elise had surprised him with her ability to fly, and offering to fly him back home in the university holidays. Their relationship had blossomed and Elise was soon considered by the others as part of the extended family and she was loved by all.

*** *** ***

If only we had that bulldozer to use right now, Philippe said to her as Elise was given yet another cup of tea. The landing strip is almost complete did Hank tell you? There is just this one bloody big rock right bang in the centre of the strip, if it wasn’t for that you could have landed here today. Philippe led her back outside and around to the rear of the house, from there she could see the long wide strip that had been smoothed out the best they could with the simple equipment they had available to them. The large grey rock stood up in the centre like a miniature immovable version of Ayres Rock. We are going to dig out around it then try to pull it away to the side using both the tractor and the pick-up, but if it doesn’t budge I shall just have to blow it up with a little C-4 and make it a more manageable size. Elise did not ask where he was going to get such a thing as C-4 explosive in such a remote place such as this, she may not have known him that long but she knew enough not to ask. The professor might look a bit staid and stoic, even a little nerdish at times, but she knew that behind those black-rimmed spectacles and his dated old fashioned clothing, he kept himself super-fit and agile. She also knew from what she had been told by Hank, that he had a much darker hidden side, as maybe one would expect of anyone who had once been part of the French Military’s elite Special Forces.

Lunch is ready!, Rose's voice broke through the noise of the baying sheep coming from one of the many large pens, the Professor and Elise started to head back to the house.

Are you still interested in having a plane of your own Philippe?, he nodded. Well my father said to tell you that he is going to sell the old Dakota, he has just bought a newer plane which I have to go and collect for him soon from Darwin, it's an old plane I know, and it's by no means the ultimate in comfort, but it's very reliable and we have tons of spares for it. Or are you after something smaller?.

A Dakota would do me just fine Elise, comfort is not an issue, I need something I can carry things in, and a DC-3 would be just the ideal. Do you know what he's asking for it?. Philippe had a very broad smile, he had been planning for a while to purchase a plane of his own, now one had almost fallen into his lap. Money was far from an issue, they were in no means millionaires but his many books; his lectures and his specialist work to do with languages, symbolism and Egyptology had made them more than comfortable. Apart from the high tech communications and computer equipment that now filled his den, they had very little to spend it on, after all in the midst of nowhere there were hardly any shops to visit, everything they needed was ordered via the internet or phone and sometimes waiting for a plane drop or for a passing truck to meet them in passing could take months, but with their own plane, they could then fly to the major cities and collect it for themselves.

Give him a ring later and talk to him, I know he will give you first refusal.

The two stepped inside and Rose began to fill plates with food, as usual having a guest she had overdone it, and by the time they had finished eating all felt bloated and reluctant to move. As the two men cleared away the dishes and began to wash up, the three ladies stepped outside onto the veranda for a smoke and some girly chat, they may have had a television at the homestead, but what was currently 'In' in the worlds of fashion could only really come from another woman from the city.

*** *** ***

And just what are you beaming about Mr P?, Rose asked as the two men joined them outside, You look like the cat whose got the cream, what's tickled your fancy then?. She knew his expressions well enough by now to realise that something had more than pleased him.

Well let's just say we all have a lot of work to do over the next few weeks, you will need to move those pigs of yours over into the new pen once we finish building it, I need that area pronto!. Philippe purposely kept them hanging.

Come on spill it mister, I want to know what you are grinning about.

Well, once the pigs have moved, I want to build a sort of big shed there.

A shed, you have several of those already, and no way is it just another shed that’s made you so darn happy?, Rose knew she was only being given part of the story, and Elise couldn’t help but chuckle at her expression, guessing the reason behind it.

Okay okay, well I want to build a large shed, a very large shed, a shed ten times bigger than the others. Philippe was pushing his luck now, Rose could only be teased so far and if he carried on he knew he could expect trouble. I've just been talking to Samuel, we have just come to an arrangement, we are now the proud owners of a new baby. Rose almost dropped her glass and frowned at him. To be more exact, we are now the proud owners of the 'Empress Elise'. Elise whooped and clapped her hands, but both Rose and Violet remained perplexed, they felt that somewhere along the line they had been left behind, had missed out on some link or some vital information that made sense of what he was saying to them, and now they were starting to get frustrated.

Empress Elise is an aeroplane! Elise blurted out, unable to keep quiet any longer. My father has just bought a new one, and by looks of it has just sold our old transport plane to Philippe. It went silent.

A plane…… you have bought a real aeroplane? is this a wind-up?.

No Rose, and yes it's a real aeroplane, like the one that does the monthly airdrop with our stuff, actually it is the one!. Philippe quickly searched in his head for a believable reason for his purchase, Just think, we will be able to fly up to Darwin, or out to Perth whenever we want, you will be able to go shopping in the big city whenever you need something, and…. and well it's big enough to take Vi and her family too!.

While Rose sat there dumbstruck, Philippe's brain was already in overdrive, scribbling a diagram on a piece of paper, pointing out to Hank how this would need changing and that would need altering, how the landing strip would need to be extended to go past the existing pig pens and where the hanger could be built backing on to the meandering river behind. He would order all the timber and metalwork they would need in the morning and arrange a passing 'Road train' drop it off to them as soon as possible. They could then use the old stock trailer and the tractor to carry it all back from the main road over several trips. In the meantime, it would be all hands on deck to finish the landing strip ready.

I have an idea Elise suddenly spoke up, Hank was telling me that you needed to go to the city soon for some new things, they all nodded in agreement. Well I will have to go up to Darwin in a few weeks to collect the new aeroplane, it means I either have to hitch a lift up there with the truckers, or fly up and take one of the other pilots with me to fly one of the aircraft back again, but that will cause us a few problems being two pilots down for a few days. They agreed, knowing how awkward things were for her father at the moment. Well, I will need a bigger plane than the small Cessna to fly to Darwin, so what about I fly the Dakota over to here first, then fly you all up to Darwin in it. I can return with the new plane and Philippe could fly you all back home in the old Dakota!. She loudly clapped her hands together in confirmation of her own brilliance, proud that she had come up with a solution that was a win-win situation for all.

*** *** ***

As evening fell, Elise and Hank took a walk away from the farm, the wind had dropped and the climbing moon lit up the light brown dusty ground through the cloudless night sky. Hand in hand they followed the riverbed for about a half mile before turning back, it stretched their legs and gave them time to catch up with things, they often chatted on the internet but were always reserved just in case somehow it was being monitored. Elise told him all about her father, how although grumpy through the frustration of not being able to work, he was managing to get about a little and cope more with his injuries. She also told him about the airline business and the antics of the few staff, even though they were unknown to Hank. Approaching the homestead they walked up to the bales of hay that had been collected and bundled together ready for the animals, Hank took a long length of wood and gave the bales several hefty strikes and waited to listen for any movement. Snakes were common around these parts, and the Hay tended to attract the Rats that they enjoyed feeding on, Spiders too loved the security the gaps between the bales provided and it was always wise to check and make completely sure. Elise may have been training to be a Doctor, but this far from a major Hospital the last thing you wanted was a bite from a Funnel Web Spider or a lethal bite from a Mulga snake; a Western Brown; a Coastal Taipan, or come to that even the bite of a Common Death Adder. It had once frightened Hank finding out that Australia has 140 different varieties of snake’s and that most of them were poisonous, but after he had learned that there are surprisingly very few fatal snake attacks in Australia and that unbelievably, under ten people a year die there from snake bites, compared to an average million fatalities in India, it had put his mind more at rest. He often saw them, but he respected them and ensured he never backed them into a corner where the only way out was to fight. Happy the bales were clear of nasty visitors the two laid themselves down and watched the twinkling stars and the bright white moon slowly moving inch by inch across the blackness due to the earth's rotation, almost silent it was just nice to be in each others company, there was no real need to talk.

*** *** ***

The homestead had developed quite a lot since they had first started looking around for a place of their own and had come across an empty place just twenty miles from Violet. When they moved there, the derelict wooden shack looked as if it would completely collapse in just the faintest of breezes. Philippe had all but rebuilt it, replacing the dried up rotting timbers, fitting new doors and window frames. Over the years he had built onto it further, making more room and also digging out below to create a very large basement, he had moved his office below ground to where it was dry and cool, allowing Rose to extend her own working area and create a proper Animation studio upstairs. Outside too had seen many changes, they had built several large animal pens, after starting with just a couple of chickens and a few sheep donated by Rose's sister Violet, they now had quite an extensive collection of animals. Rose found it hard at first to cope with the heavy work needed, but just as Violet had told her on the day they arrived, she had soon developed muscles. She had struggled too when it came time to slaughter, originally to her all animals were pets, she may have loved meat, but she had never given it a thought where it had come from. When they had to kill their first pig she cried for days and refused to eat any of it, but the years had hardened her a little, and she now realised that to survive it was a necessary thing to do, after all, there was no supermarket she could pop out to and bring back frozen sausages and bacon.

At first, Hank had just explored around the confines of the farm, apart from feeding the chickens and collecting eggs he had been too small to do much else. His days were spent being tutored by Philippe and by Rose, but as he grew his responsibilities grew along with him. Philippe had created a small exercise area and obstacle course, Hank had watched him train every morning until he too was big enough to join in, as his fitness improved he began a different sort of training with Philippe, training that they hoped would never be necessary to use, that of survival and combat. Using his Special Forces training, Philippe had taught Hank a wide variety of self-defence skills, Karate; Ju-Jitsu; Kick-boxing; all honing his unarmed combat skills. He had also taught him all about weapons, how to use throwing knives, pistols and rifles, both how to use them and how to care for them. The two men practised regularly, Hank's long-distance sniper shots were now almost on par with his own.

Hank's education too was intense, they may have been a million miles from anywhere, with no schools in over a days drive, but Hank had received a much better education than anyone else, having a professor as a personal teacher on a one to one basis, along with an unmatched eagerness to learn, Hank was like a sponge and absorbed all and yet still wanted even more. He may not have as much knowledge as Philippe, but even though not yet 20 years of age he already had a formidable knowledge of Egyptology; Archaeology; Linguistics; Cryptology and Symbolism, and was already at a level most Universities would class a specialist. He was also fluent in many languages and had shocked all his tutors when he first attended the University of Notre Dame Australia, often being more knowledgeable than those that taught him. Hank was one of those people that just excelled at whatever he undertook, shown just once how to do something and it was like he had been doing it for a lifetime, but there was one exception.

Elise had taken him back to her home in Derby during the recess and then flown him out to the homestead in the small Cessna. To Hank's horror, she had tapped him on the arm and indicated for him to hold on to the control yoke in front of him.

You have control she had said stretching her arms to get the blood circulating again. Just keep it straight and level!. Hank had almost frozen, Philippe had taught him all about navigation and tried to teach him the principles of flying, but without an aircraft to fly and to practice on, the knowledge he had was purely an academic one. Driving the truck around from the age of ten he was more used to a steering wheel and turned the aeroplanes controls too aggressively, the plane banked one way then the other, and as the ground seemed to grow and fill the window by his side, he had screamed out 'HELP!'. Elise had quickly rectified the plane's banking and brought it back to level flight, and for the next hour, she had coached him in how to handle the small plane.

I know there's a lot to think of all at once, what with navigation and changing wind, but with practice, I am sure you will soon master it she had told him. After that first attempt, Hank was none too sure, it required a completely different form of spatial awareness to that of driving a car, and it took him quite a while to get the hang of pitch and yaw. But Elise was not one to give up easily and over the time they had been together, she had pushed and pushed him until his confidence and skills had improved. That seemed a long time ago now, he had now got his provisional Pilot's Licence and had made a few successful supervised 'touch and goes' along the long deserted highway, but was not yet confident enough to fly solo and get his licence fully endorsed, but as soon as he was, then Samuel, her father as an instructor and examiner would be able to sign him off as competent. A skill that might now come in real handy if Philippe was going to purchase the 'Empress Elise'.

*** *** ***

Shall we go inside?, Hank asked Elise, Rose normally makes some hot chocolate about this time. Elise nodded and rolled over so that she could clamber down from the flat top of the bale, and dusting off the loose strands they headed back over to the house.

I'm sure you smell it, the very second I go to pour it out, you always appear like magic. If you ever get lost we certainly know what to do to find you again!.

Rose poured out two more large mugs and passed them across the table, Philippe folded up the sheets of paper and mail that Elise had brought him and sat down facing them. He slipped a sheet of paper across to Hank.

I've been trying to estimate what we need to build a hanger, the ironwork alone would take a few lorry loads, then there's still the wood. So I have done a bit of research on the internet and found this alternative. Elise tried to screw her neck around so she could get an idea of what the two were looking at. It's a bit like a very large polytunnel, although unlike the greenhouse ones that have clear plastic sheeting, this one has a heavy-duty wax cotton tent material, just like our old military bell tents. The big metal hoops come in pieces, you can buy as many as you need and make the hanger as long as you want. The ends of the hoops can be set in concrete to hold it down and it has supporting chains that act like guy ropes. Transporting it would be far easier than the two of us trying to move large iron girders, so would assembly, the hoops are assembled on the ground then lifted up, once in place the material cover for each section is threaded through like a caravan awning. Elise looked impressed, the hangers at her dad's aerodrome had taken dozens of men months to build, this looked like it could be done quite quickly. "Anyway I've put in an order, there is no waiting for it to be made as it's all stock parts, so we only have to