The Unheard words of new writers...

Episode 1: Featured characters; Walker and Craig

The Pikeman, a pub with a thatched roof, was set in the heart of rural Kent. It was furnished in dark oak.

Walker, out of habit, selected a table from which he could view the whole of the room. He settled comfortably in the padded chair.

'You could get lost forever in this part of the world, Craig. Gina suggested that I join the local golf club…'

'Golf Club!' Craig chortled. 'You'd last about a week, then you'd be hankering for London. Down here you're like a caged tiger.'

'A man can dream can't he. And always better with a pint in his fist,' Craig went to the bar and Walker scoured the rambling room. There were two couples seated in darkish alcoves and four roughly dressed farm workers, standing at the bar arguing loudly. Walker sensed someone was watching him. He looked up and the watcher looked away. Walker noted that he was a fair-haired fit looking man in his early thirties; a jagged scar that plastic surgery had not disguised completely distorted his face. It ran from the corner of his right eye across his cheek and down to his lower jaw.

© Tony Mulhearn, 2006 - 2007 (all rights reserved)

Episode 2: Featured characters; Walker and Craig

'Here you are, Walker, try the local brew, I think you'll like it,' Craig said, placing the frothing pint of ale in front of him.

'Just what I need,' he said, and took a long gulp from the glass. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and glanced back to the alcove. The man had gone and, through a small window, Walker saw a black SJ2 Jaguar pulling out of the pub car park. Craig was still talking, but Walker was hardly listening. He finished the rest of the beer and walked to the bar. The barmaid gave him a friendly smile as she pulled the two pints. He carried the drinks back to the table and, sat down. 'After this we'll carry on with the walk shall we, Craig, and then get back to the women.'

'You're always keen to get back to Cynthia aren't you Walker?' Craig said inquisitively.

Walker looked at him, hesitated, and said, 'Yes. I met her in Baghdad about five years back. She worked at the British embassy, married to a pig of a man who held a senior position in the diplomatic corps. He used to knock her about. Cynthia was still beautiful, but she knew she wasn't getting any younger, so she left him and transferred to London and moved in with me.'

Craig nodded slowly. Walker abruptly finished his drink. He stood up and started for the door, throwing a final glance at the barmaid who waved goodbye. Craig gulped down the rest of his drink and chased after him. They walked on for a while in silence.

'Who was that bloke you kept looking at in the pub?' Craig blurted out.

© Tony Mulhearn, 2007 (all rights reserved)

Episode 3: Featured characters;
Walker, Gina (Walker's daughter), Cynthia (Walker's Partner), and Craig

Walker, after hesitating, said: 'Things aren't going too well in the job. My boss is having me watched, and that bloke is probably preparing a report right now on my movements. When you do government work, you can't afford to make many slips. There's always some one waiting to fill your boots.''

'Yes, but what do you do, Walker?  I've never been able to figure you out. I don't even know your first name.'

'The shit I have to wade through you wouldn't want to know about,' was the curt reply.

Walker carried on walking thinking of the early days when he had dragged himself out of a Glasgow housing estate, away from a life a petty crime. His gifts for the audacious, dangerous assignments and dedication to the Royal Navy had been spotted by British intelligence. He was eventually attached to the Special Boat Squadron; he was doing something worthwhile, saving lives; securing intelligence that meant something.  Now, it was just a dirty game. Decisions made, reports sexed up and leaked, by spin-doctors. Going on missions where the outcome made little difference to national security. All that hype about Al Queda: they funded those maniacs, trained them and equipped them; they created the monster that they now cry out about.

'Here we are, just in time for tea,' Walker said. They arrived back at Craig and Gina's house.

'I thought you two had got lost,' Gina scolded. She was the product of Walker's very brief marriage to an Italian beauty when he was in his twenties.  'Dad,' Gina whispered when she got close enough, 'there was a man in the field opposite watching the house for about an hour, I thought he was one of your lot, you know, waiting for you. I had a good look at him through the field glasses.'

Walker spoke casually, 'Oh, I don't think anyone from London knows I'm down here.'

Gina described the man Walker had seen in the Pikeman.

'No, can't say I know anyone looking like that. It might have been someone just stretching his legs.' Then, changing the subject he said, 'I'm starving, what've you got to eat?'

Then Cynthia appeared, framed in the doorway; dressed in a white blouse and light green skirt with high-heeled casuals.

Walker gave her a long look, 'Sleep well, love?' She smiled and nodded.

She gestured for him to come close, then she said urgently, 'I think I know the man Gina's talking about, he sounds like one of the agents based in Baghdad, but why would he be in Kent?'

Walker shrugged. Then he heard the sound of the gunshot as a bullet tore into Cynthia's shoulder, crashing her against the wall. Walker moved fast and caught her before she hit the floor; he set her down gently.

© Tony Mulhearn, 2007 (all rights reserved)

Episode 4: Featured characters;
Walker, Gina (Walker's daughter), Cynthia (Walker's Partner), Craig and the Gunman

'I'll be all right, Walker. Go and get him...'

'Gina, take care of her,' he shouted, his blind shock and anger now replaced with a detached coolness. He leapt up, sweeping out of the house, running towards the road, heading for the trees that concealed the meadow beyond. He reached for the small revolver he always carried with him in a holster strapped just above his ankle. He drew it smoothly as he crossed the road, and burst through an opening in the hedge. He almost crashed into the stranger from the Pikeman, who stood with a rifle pointed at his heart.

'Steady on, old man,' the shooter said calmly. 'She's a security risk you know, and it's the first opportunity I've had of getting a shot at her. Now, put down the gun. My instructions are to kill her, and to kill you only if there's no other choice. We don't want to lose one of our agents do we, we've lost too many lately. You'd know all about that wouldn't you?'

Walker glared at the gunman, his mind in turmoil. 'What's this all about? She's only an administrator for Christ's sake.'

'Don't be naive, Walker. In Baghdad she was passing information to Hussein's agents. She has been questioned and continually denied it. And, she refused to act as a double agent.'

'Well, she wouldn't act as a double if she wasn't an agent in the first place,' Walker protested, 'how can you be sure?'

'Through the ex-husband. She'd been leaving messages for Hussein's man at a drop, smack in the centre of Baghdad. He followed her once, suspected her of having an affair, which wouldn't have been surprising given the state of their relationship; saw her leave the envelope, and he challenged her later, giving her a going over while he was at it. Not a very nice man. Afterwards, he told everyone who cared to listen that he was throwing her out. We knew it was rubbish of course; she hated his guts and had been preparing to leave him for at least a year. His allegations of her treasonous activity where dismissed as the ranting of a scorned husband. Then one of our agents decided to track her just before she left; probably her last drop. He watched till a man called Levi retrieved the note; he recognised him as one of Hussein's agents. He trailed him, overcame him, and recovered the note. The information it contained wouldn't have changed the course of history, but it did prove she was working with them.'

Walker's mind twisted and turned. 'Why is she free then, if you're so sure?'

The gunman patiently explained. 'The plan was not to alert her but to keep her under surveillance and see if she'd lead us to bigger fish. But now, with Bush's Axis of Evil, and the disastrous situation in Iraq, the Yanks have told the PM that anyone who has helped Hussein in the past has to be dealt with. The order from the top is to eliminate her, and any of her contacts.'

'Why wasn't I told?' Walker demanded.

'Come on, Walker. Your feelings toward her are common currency. You'd have defended her like a tiger, if you'd told her, she'd have been long gone.' They gazed at each other for a long minute, weighing up the next move. 'So what's it to be, you can be loyal to the firm, or loyal to her, you can't be both.' The gunman took Walker's silence as indicating loyalty to Cynthia. He raised his rifle pointing it at Walker's chest. 'Sorry old man, you give me no choice.

The loud shot made Walker jump, as a scarlet stain spread outward from the gunman's chest. His body collapsed, as though in slow motion, forming a tangled heap on the ground. He whirled around to find Cynthia standing in the bushes, holding a magnum pistol by her side. 'Cyn…,' he began to speak.

'Sorry darling, I persuaded Gina and Craig to go to London to try and take a message to your boss, I don't have his secure phone number but I gave them an address. His bullet only grazed my shoulder.'

Walker, his nerves screeching, desperately played for time.

'Why?' he shouted.

'Why? Money. After years of living with a monster, and having no resources of my own, there was an easy way, and the stuff I fed them was a joke. It had already been published in the Telegraph and The Times, no doubt it was on the internet as well, I just copied it onto official paper and they paid up. It was a wonderful scam.'

'But that isn't how it's being seen. You're a marked woman. You've been under surveillance since they interviewed you, and now they want you dead.'

'What about you? You've always said you loved me. I've got plenty of money. We can go away together, be out of the country on our way to Venezuela where I've got some friends. We could start,” she paused, 'a new life.'

'I do love you, but you can't ask me to betray the service', Walker shouted. Then more composed, 'please come with me, I'll speak to Control, we can straighten things out.'

Cynthia shook her head. 'You may not realise it Walker, but the firm suspects you of being a double agent. Ever since Jim Harrison died. So do you think Control would take any notice of your pleading my case?'

'Me, a double agent! That's ridiculous. You're bluffing. Cyn, don't force me to choose.'

The image of an enemy agent plunging a knife into Harrison's back – something he had watched powerlessly from a distance - flashed through his mind. He'd gunned the killer down, but too late for Harrison. Ten years ago I'd have saved Harrison, would have acted faster.

'I did all I could to save Harrison, but I got there minutes too late. And I retrieved the coding machine didn't I?'

'I know that, Walker, but others see things differently; you've got some enemies in the agency you know. Please…come, with me,' she whispered.

'No, stay with me and we'll fight them,' he pleaded.

Cynthia raised the magnum and pointed it at his heart. He braced himself, looking straight into her eyes.

'Walker, I'm sorry, your loyalty to the firm will force me to kill you,' she said, levelling the gun.

Walker dropped to his knees in a final plea.

© Tony Mulhearn, 2007 (all rights reserved)

Episode 5 (final): Featured characters;
Walker, Cynthia and the Gunman

'OK, old man, no need for the dramatics.' The voice came from behind Walker.

He leapt to his feet and turned to find the shooter brushing his trousers down.

'Sorry we had to go through all this nonsense, and those dye-filled blanks are marvellous, but they’ve made such a bloody mess of my shirt.'

He looked at the gunman now resurrected, stared at the red stain covering his chest disdainful, disbelieving.

'You were suspected of being a double Walker; Control didn’t believe it, but it was decided that we had to put you to the test. Cynthia was perfect for it. She took some persuading, but then she too had to prove her loyalty by setting you up. I’m glad to say you both passed the test with flying colours. Well done.'

Walker’s protestations of outrage were smothered by Cynthia’s long lingering kiss.

The following morning, Walker stood in the golf professional’s office.

'Retired are we, sir? That’s fine. Just fill in that form. With your government service background, membership shouldn't be a problem.’

- THE END -

© Tony Mulhearn, 2007 (all rights reserved)

The Unheard Words Serial is a story you write. Please get involved and contribute to The Serial. Send an approx. 100 word episode, character or other ideas: