Page 9 - As the Cold Wind Blows Mark Jones

“Let’s walk this way,” Howard pointed to the right, seeing that the narrow, unmarked road

was more of a dirt track. A man and woman passed by on the opposite side, laughing,
obviously drunk, and wearing clothing from the eighteen hundreds. Their voices too echoed

strangely in the night air. Min noticed that the woman was wearing a long bedraggled dress
that had seen better days, torn and tattered; her boots were ankle-high, laced up, and again
had seen better times. The man was wearing a grey jacket and trousers with a matching grey

bowler type hat, blue waistcoat and brown shoes. Howard and Min watched as they passed
by. Min stood with her eyes glued to the scene.

“What’s wrong with my ears?” she said, rubbing them. “Everything’s distorted. I feel
disorientated.”

Howard was experiencing the same low, muffled, echoing tones from all directions. Up

ahead as they walked, both could see a human-like shape standing with his or her back
against a wall. They slowed, not wanting to get too close. The figure noticed them and
stepped forward. It was a tall man, standing over six feet tall, wearing a black suit and black

shirt, not at all like the couple who had passed a moment ago. This man was wearing twenty-
first century attire.

‘Should we walk on, passing him by?’ thought Howard, seeing that the man was looking

right at them. He waited until they made up their minds to continue and suddenly blocked their
path. He said nothing. Min was afraid of him; he had a silverish tint to his face and hands.

“My apologies,” he said, stepping aside.

Min and Howard thanked him quickly and moved on, not realising that they had been

electronically brain-scanned for further tracking when they returned to their own time and
bodies. They had been chosen to play a part in the human alteration programme that the

drones were in control of back at Silwall in two thousand and nine. All experiments were
carried out in a virtual reality world, where the spirit can enter but the body remains in situ,
asleep in its own time. The images that Min and Howard could see around them were only

that, images, implanted by the drones. They were only together because they had been
purposely brought together for assessment and they were not the only ones. The brain

analysis and screening programme was taking place worldwide under the gaze and careful
control of an evil, callous and destructive force.

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