Kingdom Of The Nanosaurs (trilogy)

Kingdom Of The Nanosaurs - chapter 11

11. Imprisonment 

Over the following days Morgan assembled a few bits of wire, screws, tools and other assorted items from an exploration of the junk cave. He laid his collection on a dusty table along with his gizmo and his dismantled mobile phone. Lin was concentrating on an I-Ching prediction. They were sitting on a bench surrounded by scrap, old chairs, musty fabrics and general waste. On a table in front of them an old television flickered: van Linden had been as good as his word, probably on the assumption that if he showed a nice, friendly face to the children then they would come around to a more co-operative frame of mind. Morgan knew his parents would not have been seen within a thousand miles of the nanosaur launch if it wasn’t for his captivity.

Morgan was pondering how he could utilize the television signal for the short time they had one and construct some kind of device that could unlock the main door. He had memorized the lock configuration but that only helped if he had something that would manipulate the mechanism.

Some time soon, the nanosaur London press conference would be broadcast on the ageing television screen. Morgan walked over and undid the catches at the back of the cabinet.

“What are you doing?” asked Lin.

“Not sure,” he replied. “Just seeing if I can connect to the TV signal in some way.”

“What happens if you can?”

“No idea,” he admitted. “Might be able to patch into different cameras or sound booms. It’s a long shot. The presentation starts soon so I don’t have much time.”

Lin returned to her deliberations with the I-Ching. Morgan located the input signal controller. He twisted the end of the gizmo and it opened into a complex lotus pattern, like a Swiss army knife. He connected a thin filament of wire he had found to it and the other end to the input cable. He returned to his seat and began to experiment with multiple settings. Nothing happened. Morgan sighed deeply, thinking hard.

At that exact moment, the television burst into life. Lin put down the I-Ching whilst Morgan twiddled with his device. Both of them watched the television pictures with rapt attention, although Morgan’s fingers were playing around with the contraption he had rigged up.

On the television screen, a laser light show interplayed amid shimmering prismatic sculptures suspended from the ceiling in the central London auditorium Marius Natzler had chosen for his premier launch. The same presentation and performance was being played out all over the world, staggered to accommodate time zones. The worldwide response had been overwhelming, crooned a smooth voice over. Global reaction to the catastrophic weather, the disappearance of the animal kingdom and reports of strange shadow forms appearing all over the world had fuelled a mixture of fear, retrenchment and panic. Even the desert oil states were talking about survival alliances. The great religions of Catholicism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism were coming together with their former enemies; the great commercial, capitalist corporations dedicated to profit and greed, to discuss collaboration. The UN had already met in emergency session and governments throughout the world, whether from the rich nations or the underdeveloped countries, were in serious dialogue. Politicians, scientists and religious leaders had dominated the airwaves and the Internet trying to understand the events that had changed the world forever. Many believed they were the first signs that the end of the world was more than just nigh – it had arrived. In one sense, this was close to the truth. The presenter’s voice oozed confidence and self-satisfaction.

“I may have something,” said Morgan as he connected two metal clips to a pair of wires that in turn had been wrapped around a steel bar to which several scavenged magnets were attached that led to more wires and metal bars eventually connecting to a broken, battery powered portable radio and thence to Morgan’s gizmo.