Two Become One - Part 2

TWO BECOME ONE

Part 2

Katie and Ben were still arguing over who should have the fragment when her phone rang. She pulled it out of her bag, and turned away from Ben, looking at the screen. It was Mary, the departmental secretary. Katie was supposed to be on her lunchbreak, so why was she phoning? Katie answered it.
“Hello Mary!” She said, brightly.
“Oh, thank God!” Mary said, with relief in her voice. “Where are you?” she continued.
“With some friends,” Katie answered, confused “just having a spot of lunch.”
“We thought you’d been taken.” Mary said.
“What’s happened?” Katie said, concerned.
“Someone broke into your office, smashed up the Lewis collection, and attacked Frank.”
“Shit,” Katie said “is he alright?”
“Only just.” Mary replied “he’d been strangled and thrown about a bit. He’s at Adenbrookes now, the doctors are looking over him.”
“Is there anything I can do?” Katie asked.
“Just get back to the department, see if anything is missing for the police.”
“Will do.” Katie said, “See ya.” And she hung up. She turned to Ben. “We need to get back to the department now.” She filled the group in on the details, and they headed out for the car. “And bring the fragment” she said “it belongs in the collection, and if anybody notices it’s missing, there’ll be trouble.”
“Katie, do I have to remind you that I am in charge of Operation Delta?” Ben said indignantly.
“Ben, my friend was nearly killed, my workplace is smashed up and I seem to remember that today you’re supposed to be looking through the collections. Now, if we don’t return, someone might connect your presence in the collections earlier with the attack. Do you want to be a suspect?”
Ben tried to think of a clever reply, but nothing came. He mumbled something, then pulled out his hipflask.
“Come on, you lot, we need to get back to Cambridge.” Kyle said. Leaving Jake in the lab, they all piled into the land rover, and headed back to the department.

Katie’s office looked like a bomb had hit it. Papers, books and boxes were strewn across the room, the computer had been smashed and her chair was lying upturned in the corner. “I see no difference” Ben commented sniffily.
Katie peered through the doorframe, looking at the devastation. A policewoman was with her, asking questions about if the door had been closed, where she’d been, if anything was missing. She looked around the office, but couldn’t tell if anything was gone. Clearing up and checking would have to wait until the forensics team had finished. They went into the collection. Here the damage was less, only a few of the drawers had been damaged, their contents tipped onto the floor. “We were in the middle of cataloguing these” she told the policewoman “Ben, is there anything missing?”
Ben glanced at the pile of pottery. If was impossible to tell, but he had an inkling what the thief had been after. “No” he said. The policewoman sighed. “Well, we think the thief was after something very specific. He obviously didn’t find it, otherwise it would be missing.” She pulled out a card, bearing the Cambridge constabulary crest and some details. “Call me if you find anything missing when you tidy your office.”
Katie nodded. “When can I go and see Frank?” she asked.
“It’ll be a few hours, we’ll let you know.” The policewoman said.

It was getting dark outside when the police had left. Kate had wanted to go and see Frank, but the police wanted her to look for anything that might be missing. Katie had managed to clean up most of the papers in her office, Kyle and Craig had helped, while Ben stood to one side, occasionally picking up a sheet of paper and asking where it went. The office looked much as it had before, and Katie was able to assess the damage. The computer’s monitor was smashed, but the hard-drive was intact, she was pleased to see, and most of the artefacts she had on the shelves had been left. She then realised what was missing.
“Our picture is gone.”
“What picture?” Ben asked.
“That one we got Anselm to take on my birthday, you, me and Kyle in the Mermaid. It’s gone!”
“Why would a thief steal a picture of us?” Kyle asked.
“Was the frame worth anything?”
“No, cheap thing from Woolies.”
“Then that can only mean one thing.” Ben said ominously.
“What?” Katie asked, infuriated. She hated it when Ben went all dramatic.
“Your thief knows we have the crystal fragment, and he’s going to be looking for us.”
“He’ll be heading for the Mermaid then” Kyle said.
“We’d better get over there.” Ben said.
“Actually Ben, I want to go and see Frank? He’s hurt, and it’s our fault.”
Ben glared at her, but she gave as good as she got. This battle of wills went on for a few seconds, then Ben gave in. “Alright,” he said “But be quick.”
“Kyle,” Katie said “can you drive me. I’m a bit shaken after all this.”
Ben was about to protest, but Kyle interrupted him “Yeah, alright.” He answered quickly.
Before Ben could protest, they had left the room, and were on the stair.
“There’s something funny going on with those two.” Ben said. He had hoped that Kyle would come with them. Craig was only a kid, and Anselm was frankly useless in a fight, and Ben wanted to be in a position of strength then they met their attacker, but he was certain that his mental abilities would enable him to find a solution. Checking the battery level on his mobile, he lead Craig and Anselm out of the office, and they headed to the car park.

Barry Tuck was in his element. A group of young women were in the bar, and they’d clearly had more to drink than they could handle. He wiped a sweaty palm on his trousers, and grinned. He knew he wasn’t the most attractive man in Cambridge, he was often mistaken for that fat drunk comedian off the telly, but in his mind, he could turn on the charm, and they would fall at his feet. Admittedly, he’d had very little actually success, but he was ever the optimist. He lifted the hatch in the bar, and was about to make his way over to their table when the front door opened and in came a tall, thin figure. It looked left and right, and headed towards him. He put on his best smile, and prepared to greet the stranger.
“Hallo there, I’m Barry Tuck, like the bloke what used to do ‘Points of View’, welcome to the Merm-”
He was cut short by the stranger, who grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the floor by a clear foot, knocking over a table and causing the girls to scream and run for the door. Barry could see this was no ordinary client. He had large, black eyes, and scaley skin. Barry tried to make some comment about eczema, but all he could do was wheeze. “Where are these people?” the stranger shouted, holding up a picture of three people. Barry looked at it through wide eyes. “Tha’s Ben Chatham, wiv his mates, the pikey lad and her with the big jugs.”
“You are an idiot.” The stranger told him. “Where can I find these people?” he shouted.
“We’re right here!” came a voice from the door. The stranger turned, and saw the blonde man from the photo, flanked by two others, one smaller, dressed in black. “Where is the Crystal Diadem?” he screamed, throwing Barry across the room. He hit the bar, flipped, and crashed into the bottles, showing the place with broken glass, and fell limply to the floor. Anselm gasped, and dodging round the stranger, ran to the bar.
“Who are you?” Ben demanded. “I am Ben Chatham, and whatever you are planning to do, be sure that I will stop you!”
“I don’t care who you are, give me the Crystal Diadem!”
“I don’t have it on me.” Ben half-lied. It was actually in the car, but he didn’t want the stranger to know this.
“Then I will make you tell me!” The stranger cried, and reached out and grabbed Craig. Ben tried to stop him, but he wasn’t quick enough.
“You have until midnight to provide me with the Crystal Diadem, or he dies. I will tell you where to meet me!” Pulling Craig close to him, he threw himself through the window and ran down the street, as police sirens grew louder. Ben looked around him. The place was a mess, and if the police found him at the scene, they might make a connection with the attack at the university, and assume he had something to do with it. He didn’t have time for UNIT or Torchwood to arrange his release, he needed all the time he had to save Craig. He walked over to the bar, where he found Anselm peering at Barry.
“Is he still alive?” Ben asked.
“Only just. He’s had a very nasty knock, and there’s blood everywhere” Anselm answered, slightly shaking.
“The police will be here any minute; they can take care of him.” Ben said “We have to get out of here, now!” He grabbed Anselm’s arm, and dragged him out to the car. Ben hit the accelerator, and they were round the corner as the first police car arrived.