Chapter 39/Blackmail

We carried on for what seemed like ages. within the mail train it was darker then shutting your eyes. Occasionally as the mail train shifted tracks hi could hear sparks and smell a high voltage electricity. Finally, the train came to stop The train came to stop. I pushed the late of the mail train up slightly to have a peek at what was around us. It was dark in the room we were in was like the one we just left. Except this one was lite from the glow from a red indicator light on a control panel.

"OK?, good," I told Marta. "let's get out."

We got out and I looked on the control panel for a switch which would send the train back. Dad must have been trapped in the room we left. With that trip, he had been in there a long time. I didn't feel the door would stand up too long but I was running on hope. Looking around eventually, I found a row old musty buttons. The red light indicated Mount Pleasant sorting office. There was another button below it marked Aldwych maintenance station. I press the button and suddenly the train shot out of room again. The machinery was old and worn and it was more surprising it kept working. It made a  huge clattering noise as it drifted off down the narrow track.

"If that comes back it will either have your dad or some soldiers from what ever they call homeland defence here." Said Marta. "I think we get out. If your dad is on the train coming back then we will meet him where he said"

It was a sensible plan "shush." I said followed by whispering "okay all we have to do is get out".

Just then there was a loud rattling on the door.

"Oy" said an English man's voice on the outside "who is hiding in there?"

"No one, " I said back "this room is empty."

He had clearly heard Marta talking, I was being rather sarcastic being caught off guard like that.

"Oh OK then," said the man's voice apologetically. I think I heard him walk away. We waited for a couple of minutes and nothing happened. In time, I cautiously looked under the door and through the narrow gap, no saw nothing but I partly light underground corridor.

I pulled a confused face at Marta. Unlocked the door peered, out seeing no one waiting for us I thought it best to begin moving.

We crept along what must have been part of the English post office. We passed many bags full of envelopes and small brown parcels wrapped up in twine. We carried up along a corridor at the end of which stood the beginnings of a staircase. It was not well lit down here. All you could really hear was the buzz of elderly ballast on fluorescent lights. Marta and I tried to use the bags as cover. We darted from one to another. Eventually, the staircase was under an industrial metal arch covered in rivets, just after the next mailbag.

I got up and looking around went towards the staircase. My thinking was that the local post office workers would use the elevator for the heavy bags. The staircase would really be in case of fire. I looked either side up and down the corridor which crossed the one I was in. I was about to go when I walked practically into a postman who appeared from nowhere.

"Who are you? You don't work here?" saind the postman. On he's sober dark grey wool jacket he had a name badge. 'Eric'

"You're right" I said "err err. Promise you won't tell anybody"

Eric the postman's face suddenly changed.

"Don't tell me" he began "you were trying to post yourself through the mail"

I was stunned for a second. It seemed like a better reason I'm escaping from a police raid. "yes your right" I admitted, "how did you know?"

"Happens all the time dun nit."

"No way," said Martha.

"Yes way," said Eric. "and I bet I can guess what went wrong?"

"Really?" I said inching towards a nearby elevator.

"yeah you see people think it's easy they just have to cover themselves in wrapping paper." Eric began "but what most of them don't think about is how they going to write the address and put the stamps on themselves when they are wrapped up."

Eric was clearly so infected, as was most of the people he discovered in the post.

"When I used to do the rounds the number of people I saw standing next to the postbox. Well I won't tell you but it was quite a lot. Even found a few of them trying to climb into the postbox fools. Had a guy in here last week and sold himself on eBay by accident. Told me he had got his wife to drop him off at the Post office counter. He was even carrying wrapping paper and stamps for the return journey when he had explained the mistake. I told him like I'm telling you. You can't send livestock through her Majesties mail." Eric said.

At this point, Mata behind me, had worked herself into the elevator catching the hint. I kept Eric's eye contact until moment Marta pressed the elevator close button. A large metal door World across Eric's face. Then suddenly it stopped. Eric's hand had prevented it from closing.

"Oi" said Eric. A second hand produced a ball of twine and giving it to me. "you're going to need this to get back home"

"Thanks," I said taking the twine.

With that Eric removed his hand, the elevator door shut and we stood in the industrial metal room. The witch equipment began to work and we felt the elevator soon ascend to ground level. Looking around I noticed some pegs in the elevator which held a couple of official looking Post office worker peaked caps and jackets. We took one jacket each and easily put them on. The Elevator doors opened to a large industrial room. It was easy to see Open doors in the distance where a number of Post office trucks were waiting.

I grabbed a small bag of Mail. Even that felt heavy. Putting on my back I started to walk casually towards the open entrance. The room was a hive of activity. There were sorting machines and people sorting mail by hand. Martha followed next to me with her own bag of mail. Just then another post man came up to me.

"Where do you think you're going with that post?" He demanded. He looked middle aged and the kind of guy whoknew what he was doing.

" I'm going to put it in the mail truck over there,expalin" I said.

"No you're not..." said the postman who's badge said 'Pat'.

My heart sank. I felt like we had been caught.

"You're new let me explain. That truck is incoming mail, you want outgoing trucks to the north side over there." he said pointing wildly like he was a living puppet and the puppet master was being attacked back stage by a wasp.

"I'm sorry" I began " I'm lost in the mail."

Pat looked at my bag 'That's letters for the North Port hole that is" said Pat "they go in that big white truck at the far end."

I looked up in the direction he was pointing. And saw a long line of large red Royal mail trucks. At the far end was the same type of post truck but it was completely white. Next to that truck was totally black truck and finally a smaller pink truck with "her Majesties mail" written on it.

Pat now took Martin's bag "That's fe-mail, women's truck is the third one down." He said indicating the truck.

I looked and couldn't resist asking. "wWhat do you put in the black truck?" I said.

"That's for blackmail, but we also use it for threats, extortion, and scams, " said Pat helpfully.

We both tried to salute then walk casually towards the trucks the house indicated.

With the jackets and the mai, we were able to walk casually out of the Mount Pleasant sorting office onto the streets. Not before accepting a letter from someone who noticed us walking past before we stuffed the coats in a wastebin.

"Let's see if we can get to your Dads Rendezvous point from here," said Marta as we mixed with the crowd around the Post office and wondered off.

***

Hi there, just another busy week in the ever accelerating rush towards the climactic ending of the book. But we can never be too busy to get out and thank you for all your time reading with us.  One of the author's term's is just about to break up. I don't know about yours but we plan to spend it reading and plotting a new book. What you up to. apropos nothing at all...  What are your feelings about sassy interplanetary assassins? Got any good names? Actually is there anything you would strongly recommend reading wise this summer?  I have a nice bag of stuff we've noticed mostly because we noticed other people are reading it when we drop by to thank them reading BP. Anyway all the best until next week.