Bad to Worse Read online

  [Studio] Thanks, Dan. Well folks, you heard it first on Station BWRD. The air crash in the Bleacher has a happy ending. Let’s hear some happy music to go with it. Here’s a number requested by Duran and dedicated to a lucky lady called Simone. Duran says ‘Come back, baby; Marilyn’s moved out and I love you again’.

  3 ANNA CAMENES TO RICHARD WORSE

  Dear Richard

  I don’t think you ever met Walter Reckles from the US, but I know we spoke of him. He was the designer of Edvard’s research balloon Abel, and I remember you commented on the ingenuity of the brim shape when Edvard and I were wearing his patent tornado-proof hats in Madregalo last year.

  We have just heard that he miraculously survived a plane crash in Arizona, which we are all naturally very pleased about. I am including a link to a news report, partly because it’s an amazing story, but also because I couldn’t help noticing the local sheriff’s name, and wondered if there might be a family connection to you.

  You are probably unaware that I write occasional pieces for the popular aerospace press, and some time ago I interviewed Walter for a piece in Aviation Reviews on the very subject of surviving aircraft catastrophes. There’s an abridged version in the book by Darian, but if you don’t have that and are interested you can find the full interview at the second link below. AR has asked me to go back to New Mexico to reinterview him, but that will take some tricky scheduling for us both. I do think you and Walter would get on if you were to meet.

  Rodney Thwistle tells us constantly what a fabulous time he had with you in Perth. He seems a much more talkative soul than when his radius of experience ended at the Cambridge ring road. Edvard says that in conversational word count, Australian wine may soon surpass mathematics, which I’m sure you will agree is a very surprising development for Rodney.

  Edvard’s monograph on Thomas MacAkerman and the early documentation of weaver fish is launching next month. After the events in Madregalo, he had to rewrite completely the Afterword, which took considerable time. I believe UITA Press is to make it available in Australia following release in the UK.

  On the subject of weaver fish, we both read Darian’s book with a mixture of delight and dismay. Granted, he’s a balanced and meticulous historian, but it’s still quite disconcerting to see one’s own unwitting presence in those events placed on the historical record for all to see. We wonder what your thoughts might be.

  Edvard and I are still trying to organize our lives so that we also can take up your offer of a guided tour of the Margaret River region. I hope it will be in the near future. Equally, should circumstances bring you to England, you must stay with us in Chaucer Road.

  I expect you know that Millie has been offered a visiting professorship in Perth, though I am unsure as to when she will take it up. She recently re-joined Rodney’s department, and has become a Fellow of Nazarene College.

  Nicholas is back in the Ferendes now that the dreadful revolution business is over. Apparently, they have found an amazing complex of caves deep inside the Joseph Plateau, quite near the LDI station. The exciting thing is that there are prehistoric pictograms and possibly primitive alphabetic elements on the walls. Edvard has been studying photographs sent by Nicholas but, as you might imagine, he is beside himself with impatience to return and explore the site personally.

  The other news from out there is that the swints have returned—presumably some of the very ones you released from captivity last year. Nicholas said there were hours of murmuration in the form of a cross over Madregalo before they roosted in the palace. I suppose the fact that the new prince is a man of the cloth has drawn them back. There’s forgiveness, if ever there were.

  Edvard sends his best wishes. He and I are well, and we hope you are also. Do tell us your news.

  With kind regards

  Anna

  Anna Camenes is a research psychiatrist at the Compton Institute in Cambridge. She is the partner of Edvard Tøssentern, a linguistics professor who started the international Language Diversity Initiative. His special interest has been the insinuation of weaver fish lore into Ferent languages. An LDI field station in a remote part of the Ferendes is managed by Paulo Cinnamonte, and has as resident statistician and volunteer factotum Nicholas Misgivingston. Walter Reckles is an aeronautical engineer and founder of Flight Control Corporation, based in New Mexico. These five previously collaborated in a breakthrough study of the novel embryology and flight science of the Asiatic condor, which is native to the Ferendes. Their paper has not yet appeared but some details are given in the recent history from A B C Darian, entitled The Weaver Fish, which documents events leading up to the Ferende revolution.

  Richard Worse is a security analyst working in Perth. He knows personally Anna, Edvard and Nicholas, but not the others. Rodney Thwistle is a Cambridge mathematician who has enjoyed a long-standing correspondence with Worse on advanced cryptography algorithms, and recently was Worse’s guest on a holiday wine tour of Western Australia.

  Millie is Emily Misgivingston, Nicholas’s sister and also a mathematician. People who know both her and Worse think they would make a good couple, and on occasions hint as much. In the first hours of the Ferende revolution, Worse and Millie together entered the deserted Palace L’Orphania in Madregalo and set free thousands of swints kept caged by Prince Nefari, whose violent death began the turmoil. The fact is briefly mentioned in Darian’s book. Anna’s remark about the newly acceded Crown Prince Arnaba, a theologian and cleric, alludes to the common belief that swints settle only on property that is sanctified in some way.

  4 RICHARD WORSE TO THOMAS WORSE (1)

  Dante County Sheriff’s Office

  Dante, Arizona, USA

  PRIVATE: For Attention of Sheriff Thomas M Worse Personally

  My name is Richard M Worse, and I write to you from Perth, Western Australia. I have recently become aware of the news story about Walter Reckles, who is the friend of a friend, but more intriguingly, I noted your name in the online reports. Please forgive me if I intrude in any sense, but I wondered if we might be distantly related. If the ‘M’ in your name stands for Magnacart (or perhaps, in America, it has been phoneticised to Marnacourt, or something similar), then that is definitely the case. If not, we are unrelated and I apologize for imposing the enquiry on your time. My only excuse is that, as my years advance, I have become more interested in my extended family and more attentive to the responsibilities of its ancient motto.

  Regards

  Richard Magnacart Worse

  Dear Richard

  Your email was indeed an intrusion, but the most interesting and welcome one in the working day of a sixth-generation lawman. Definitely, no apology is required. I have often wondered about my southern hemisphere cousins, about whom my father seemed disappointingly uninformed other than to pass on a family joke about the ‘Worse’ branch of our ancestors settling in Australia rather than America (I’m sure you had the corresponding merriment down under). Let me express my unreserved delight that you have made contact, and I hope that one day we might meet in person.

  Famille Oblige.

  Thomas Magnacart Worse VI

  For readers unaware of its history, the name Magnacart is pronounced Marnacourt. The motto, which dates from the thirteenth century, is shared with the Misgivingston lineage, and is a patrilineal oath to protect within and between the two families.

  5 AREA PI

  The operation to retrieve the Condor wreckage was conducted by the Transportation Safety Board with policing support from the Dante County Sheriff’s Office. Convinced that the cause of the crash was collision with a drone, Walter Reckles was keen for the investigation to report promptly so that the reputation of Flight Control Corporation and its Condor design was not damaged.

  Though forward orders for the FC100 tapered off pending a reassuring board finding, there was one unexpected benefit for Reckles from the disaster. His spectacular survival, judged miraculous by all in the press, had garnered national attention and his st
ory and explanations were widely sought. Extraordinary, then, that he had already prepared a book on the very subject, How to Walk Away from a Midair Collision, which publishers previously had been reluctant to take on. Now there was an industry clamour to win the rights, with rumours of advance fee auction estimates exceeding two million dollars.

  Eventually, a local Delegate Board of Enquiry was convened and a preliminary hearing scheduled. It was to be held in a hotel conference facility in Dante, and not expected to be a drawn-out affair. There would be a statement of facts, witness testimony, and presentation of interim findings from board investigators. Reckles was required to attend.

  Walter agreed to a comprehensive follow-up interview with Anna for Aviation Reviews, and after much negotiation over dates they decided that the best place to meet would be in Dante during the hearing. Anna could attend using an AR press pass and obtain more background for her story. As well, she hoped to speak to people involved in the rescue, in particular Sheriff Worse. She flew to Dante and checked into her hotel.

  Edvard

  You will be pleased that you haven’t come. I am staying at a place called the Boot Hill Emporium Hotel, known by the locals as the BHEH, pronounced Bee Hay. Walter is arriving later today. The hearing starts tomorrow afternoon and is being held in one of the rooms in this complex. I need to rest for a while, so will write later tonight.

  Love Anna

  Anna slept till 5.00 pm. She found an email from Walter saying he had arrived at the BHEH and asking if she were free for dinner. She replied, suggesting 8.00 pm. Then she showered and went for a walk, exploring the historic sites of Dante.

  When she returned to the hotel, Walter was seated in the lobby in conversation with another man who was wearing a business suit. She waved and walked towards them. They both stood up, and Walter came forward to greet her. He asked about her flight, then turned to introduce his companion.

  ‘Anna, this is Sheriff Thomas Worse. Thomas, this is Anna Camenes.’

  Anna was astounded at his resemblance to Richard. When he spoke she was more astounded by how different were their accents.

  ‘A pleasure to meet you, Anna.’ Thomas reached out to shake hands. ‘I hope you enjoy our finest Dante hospitality during your stay.’

  ‘A pleasure to meet you also, Thomas. I believe I know your Australian cousin, Richard Worse. We shared some dramatic adventures in the Ferendes recently.’

  ‘Oh yes. I was very pleased that he got in touch. You must tell me about him. Will you join us?’

  Anna sensed that she may have interrupted an important discussion, and declined. She arranged that Walter would come by her room just before 8.00, and excused herself.

  Anna returned to her room. When she entered, she found an unaddressed envelope slipped under the door. Inside was a single sheet of BHEH guest stationery and a handwritten message.

  I spy with my little eye

  Something ending with Pi.

  There are engines and wings

  And guidance and things

  But nothing to see in the sky.

  She wanted to share it with Walter, and took the elevator back to the lobby. Walter and Thomas were still there, and as she approached they both looked at her expectantly. Again, she felt she was interrupting, and made her reason clear without delay.

  ‘I found this under my door.’ She held out the sheet to Walter. ‘Why would anyone give me that? Who would know that I’m here about the investigation?’

  ‘Any number of people could know that,’ said Thomas without elaboration.

  Walter handed him the message.

  ‘It appears you have a secret corroborator,’ said Thomas to Walter. ‘It’s obviously referring to an unmanned aerial vehicle.’

  ‘But a limerick? How serious is that?’ asked Anna.

  ‘Oh, don’t mind that. It’s a Dante tradition from way back,’ said Thomas.

  ‘What is the Pi reference, do you think?’ asked Walter.

  ‘That’s the most interesting part,’ said Thomas. ‘You probably haven’t spent enough time in Dante to know about Area Pi. It’s a research establishment north-west of here, under federal regulation so my office isn’t too involved. It has the same mythical relationship to Dante as Area 51 does to Vegas. Conspiracy, paranoia, alien experimentation, government secrecy, that sort of thing. Any cab driver will tell you about it, only they won’t take you there.’

  ‘Why?’ asked Anna.

  ‘They’ve heard stories and they’re scared,’ said Thomas.

  ‘With reason?’ she asked.

  ‘Maybe,’ said Thomas.

  Anna looked at both men.

  ‘Shall I take that?’ she said, reaching for the sheet. ‘I’ll see you for dinner, Walter. I can bring you up to date with research in the Ferendes. Good night, Thomas. I hope I see you again.’

  ‘I am sure you will. At the hearing tomorrow, if not before. Good night, Anna.’ Thomas stood up as she left. ‘Oh, Anna,’ he added. ‘Take my card, please. Call if you need any assistance.’

  The mall space that formed the lower floors of the hotel had some very fine restaurants. Anna and Walter chose Commedia. After ordering, Anna brought the subject around to the board investigation.

  ‘How are you feeling about tomorrow, Walter?’

  ‘I’ll be happier when my testimony is over. It’s not all that easy reliving the breakup of the plane.’

  ‘Are you sure you want to do our interview?’

  ‘I’m fine with that. You’re not going to be cross-examining me, pushing disbelief onto the facts.’

  ‘Why do you think tomorrow will be like that?’

  ‘Thomas has given me some warning. It seems there is a rather unpleasant individual who’s managed to inveigle himself onto the board.’

  ‘I’m sure you will be treated with the greatest respect, Walter. Why should you not be?’

  ‘We’ll see.’

  Anna changed the subject. ‘What are you doing in the morning?’

  ‘Nothing special. Maybe a walk. What about you?’

  ‘I was thinking I might rent an SUV and head out to Area Pi. That’s where our anonymous poet is directing us. Want to ride shotgun with me?’

  Walter grinned. ‘Can I have the AK upgrade?’

  The rental car was delivered to the BHEH at seven o’clock the next morning. Anna could find no information about the location of Area Pi, and certainly no address to input to a GPS device. She asked the hotel concierge for directions.

  ‘Ma’am, you won’t find that name on any maps. Some folk think there’s no such place.’

  ‘What road would we take if it were there?’

  ‘Ma’am, we don’t recommend that route to our guests. It’s not, ah, scenic, ma’am.’

  Anna gently protested that everything in America was scenic to the English, and he gave her a map with a back road to Phoenix highlighted.

  ‘Take water,’ he said. ‘When do you expect to be returning to the BHEH?’

  ‘Midday, I would think. We’re attending the safety board hearing at two.’ She held up the map. ‘Thank you for this.’

  Anna turned to join Walter, but the concierge called her back.

  ‘Ma’am. Dr Camenes. Don’t go out beyond half a tank. You won’t find gas in those parts, and there aren’t folk willing to help.’

  They walked out onto the concourse to their car. Walter drove while Anna navigated. Forty minutes later, they were well along the barren, unsealed Route 3141. Out there, it seemed like a road from nowhere to nowhere. Anna stretched forward to look in a wing mirror, watching the plume of dust erupting behind them.

  ‘Walter. Do you find this country scenic?’

  ‘It’s always better from the air, Anna. Anyway, I’m not here for the scenery.’ He leaned forward to peer at the road ahead, clenching the steering wheel with both fists, and adopted a yokel voice. ‘I come for da shootin’.’ Anna glanced across to find him grinning.

  When she first interviewed Walter for Aviation
Reviews, it had been a rather formal exchange, and she was sometimes regretful that she may have portrayed him a little unkindly to the AR readership. Her self-justification was that his ideas on survival really did seem somewhat bonkers at the time, though now his spectacular appearance in the Bleacher Desert was unarguable vindication. She felt this second interview was an opportunity to rebalance the sentiment of the first.

  Besides, she had come to really like Walter, and respect his skill as an aeronautical engineer. When he joined their team in the Ferendes studying the flight mechanics of the Asiatic condor, he had brought enthusiasm, humour and theoretical rigour. She was pleased to see him.

  ‘How’s the fuel level?’ she asked after a long silence.

  ‘We’ll make it to the horizon and back.’

  They fell silent again. Anna was looking at the landscape, but thinking about her interview. Actually, she was starting to think about something quite different from a normal interview, more a story about Walter and his experience, with conversational passages and reportage on the board hearing. She would email a concept plan to her editor.

  ‘Shall we try the radio?’ she asked.

  Walter fiddled with controls on the steering wheel. They came in halfway through an announcement, but it repeated constantly. Both found it difficult to believe what they were hearing.

  Driver of silver SUV heading west on 3141. You are entering a restricted area. Proceed no further. Turn back. Turn back now.

  Walter flicked through several stations, finding the same message on them all.

  ‘They’ve hijacked our system,’ he said.