The Cosmic Crime: Part Nine

Standing inside the now deserted Mission, the map they had found there spread out on a table, the Green Man and his two female associates looked down on the picture before them. The atmosphere was charged with an air of deep foreboding.

It was a map of the United States, ommitting the Western seaboard, with little coloued squares on it, a great many clustered around the meeting point of Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee. There was a similar, if lesser cluster of squares along the border between Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia. There was a massive concentration just off the map, and others in New England, which had also been missed off (in other words, this was the America George W. Bush sees when he gets up in the morning).

"That map," Ms. Madison explained earnestly, "is a map showing recent earthquakes in the United States. The San Andreas fault, the best known of the earthquake hotspots, has been missed off, presumably to make this map look more serious than it would otherwise.

"Now, we know the Order of Cain own land on the San Andreas fault, and I suspect a search of the land resistry throughout the USA would turn up cases of land owned at these hotspots."

"So?" Andrea looked confused. "What can they do with them?"

"Too much." Ms. Madison sounded worried. "If the Order of Cain should explode a number of atomic bombs in those spots, they could open up long-dormant fault lines and tear the United States into fragments."

"Not only would they destroy the most powerful country in the world," the Green Man cut in, but it would change the map of the world for all time. The dust thrown up by the explosions would plunge the world into a new Ice Age. Millions would die, not only in the United States, but in massive Tsunamis. Cuba would be totally swamped, for example."

"So Castro wouldn't be able to gloat," Ms. Madison cracked.

"You've got it," Andrea smiled. "So, where do we go from here?"

"To the other possible location for the Order's base." The Green Man looked towards the door. "The fortress off the coast."

"Goody," Ms. Madison laughed. "I get to top up my suntan."

"Afterwards."

The Green Man looked upwards to an old monument. There, looking blankly down on them, was an alabaster skull. A reminder of the millions who would die if the Order of Cain was not stopped.

The Cosmic Crime: Part Eight

Andrea knew that tough girls were not supposed to scream, but when the ground opened up beneath her, she couldn't help herself. And who could blame her? After all, for all she knew, she was facing death, swift and terrible. Or maybe worse. Perhaps she would break her back or legs and starve to death, eaten by cave creatures while she was still alive.

A strong hand grabbed her wrist. Although the jolt brought tears to her eyes, she was stopped. Looking up, she saw the Green Man, holding firm to an outcrop.

"Climb up my arm!" he told the redhead through gritted teeth. "There's a ledge here!"

"What about you?" she yelled back.

"I can't climb and hold onto you!" he replied bravely. "And I am not letting go!"

Andrea didn't argue any more, but, reaching up with her free hand, she took a hold of the Green Man's arm and began to climb. Soon, she was kneeling on a narrow, cold ledge, looking up at the sky and trees above. She had dropped her gun, and expected to be shot from above by the wicked robed figures of the Order.

But no shots came. Apparently, they were so confident of their chasm that they had not thought to check. By the time the Green Man joined her, Andrea had recovered a little of her poise, although her breathing was still a little laboured. She was not surprised to see that the Green Man was hardly affected.

"And now we depart." The Green Man drew a folding grappling hook from beneath his coat. "I shall go first, to make sure that it's safe."

"Sure," Andrea was in no mood to argue.

The Green Man threw the hook. It caught the side of the chasm. Again, they waited, to see if the Order would try anything. Andrea took hold of the Green Man's spare gun, covering the spot by the grapple. Yet again, nothing happened. Half-way up, a massive explosion rent the air. The Green Man kept on climbing, however, unaffected.

The result of this was that Andrea was seized with a burning curiosity to know what had happened above. She was only too glad to have the Green Man help her progress by hauling her up.

She found a dead man, and three other robed figures, stood at bay, kept back by the gun of the Green Man, and a rifle, the latter item beong ably hefted by Ms. Madison.

"I thought you might need help," she explained, "so here I am."

"And not a moment too soon," the Green Man declared approvingly. "Andrea, search them."

The redhead obeyed, disarming the three men swiftly. The Green Man and Ms. Madison helped tie them up. After which the church was searched. Apart from a terrified tourist, it was empty of people.

But they found a map. A map with a number of cooloured squares marked on it, apparently dropped by someone in their haste. The moment Ms. Madison saw it, she gasped in horror.

The Cosmic Crime: Part Seven

Ms. Madison stood on the steps of the hotel, looking up at the flaming hills around the city, shielding her eyes against the sun. Above, firefighting helicopters circled, dumping great quantities of water on the flames. Her mobile 'phone was held to her ear, as she talked to the Green Man.

"It looks like the whole forest's on fire from here," she told the Green Man, "but one of the doormen told me he's seen it this way before."

"He's right." The Green Man declared. "This is no cosmic crime. This is a distraction. While the emergency services are fighting this fire, the Order of Cain are going to carry out their evil plan. This almost certainly involves the use of the fault lines that the Order owns property on."

"Quite." Ms. Madison concurred. "But isn't that a bit like Lex Luthor in the Superman film?"

"Or the bad guy from Roger Moore's last Bond film." The Green Man concurred. "Which is hardly a cosmic crime. It has to be more than that. And that worries me. When I know evil is afoot and I don't know what it is, that concerns me. Is there anything more you can tell me?"

"There are two promising locations for a base for the Order of Cain," Ms. Madison told her boss. "A big old Mission out in the desert, and an old coastal fort. I think we should take the Mission first."

"I agree." The Green Man spoke decisively. "The Order of Cain seems to need consecrated buildings for their evil ceremonies."

"I'll be there in a jiffy," the blonde declared brightly. "See you there!"

She rang off and headed for her sports car.

The Green Man and Andrea arrived at the Mission first. They parked sufficiently far away from the Mission to escape detection if the Order of Cain was using the buildings. Silently and carefully, the two figures hurried towards the huge, powerful building of the mission church. No-one was to be seen, but there was organ music coming from the church.

The two adventurers paused beneath the great walls, by a side door. Applying a doctor's stethoscope to the door, the Green Man listened. What he heard was proof of his sound judgement. He could hear the same strange chanting as he'd heard in the church at Ringstead. And the fightened tones of a young woman.

"We shall have blood this time."

It was the voice of the leader of the Secret Order of Cain. The Order of Doom! Apparently they intended to see someone die before they did their evil. The girl whimpered, and soon the Green Man could stand it no longer.

He broke through the door, drawing his gun. Andrea, entering beside him, drew her heavy automatic.

"End this!" he commanded, shooting a couple of the members of the order.

"So," the leader turned to the Green Man. "We meet again. But this time, the ground opens under your feet!"

Andrea screamed, as she felt herself falling through space.

The Cosmic Crime: Part Six

The Police arrived at the mansion as dawn was breaking through. The Green Man and Andrea watched from a safe distance, Ms. Madison having left a while back, pleading the need for sleep. Not unsurprisingly, no ambulance was called for a long time. Mr. Line had been so very dead, his throat slit from ear to ear, lying amid a pile of half-packed cases. They had been fully packed, but a search by the two girls had ended that. And would probably mislead the police. Not that they would hav minded, had they but known what terrible justice would be visited on the killers.

"Why do you think they killed him?" Andrea had to ask the 'feed' question, as no-one else was around to do it.

"He was afraid of something," the Green Man replied. "Afraid of something that was going to seriously affect the economy of the United States. He'd converted his assets into gold, and was headed for Switzerland this morning. The Order realised that someone - likely us - was going to get suspicious and start asking awkward questions."

"So they killed him because he was a weak link." Andrea shook her head. "Even though he'd given hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Order?"

"Even though." The Green Man drew a mobile 'phone from his pocket. "I'll call Ms. Madison, she ought to be back at the hotel by now, and should be able to check some more of the inormation about the late Mr. Line."

Ms. Madison picked up at once. Her voice was fresh and lively, as she greeted the Green Man and asked what he wanted. A few moments later, she was able to report the situation regarding Mr. Line.

"He gave three million dollars to the Order in the last five years, and was going to remmber them in his will, over his last two wives," Ms. Madison reported. "Which is especially mean when you consider what they did to him. And he gave them several thousand acres of rugged landscape straddling the San Andeas Fault."

"Interesting." The Green Man sounded quietly satisfied.

"Very interesting." Ms. Madison agreed. "Apparently, the Order also owns property on a couple of other fault lines in the United States, as well as thousands of acres of Amazon Rainforest, which they hold through a phony conservation charity."

"All the ingredients of the worst environmental disaster the world has ever known - or could know - if deployed properly." The Green Man's fascination grew. "Anything else?"

Ms. Madison tapped a few more times on her keyboard, then gasped.

"Acres of forest here in California!" she exclaimed. "And the news wire reports a massive forest fire starting there!"

"It's started." The Green Man's voice was grim.

The Cosmic Crime: Part Five

The girls arrived at the gates to the estate just as the sun was sinking low in the sky. Bare trees stood proudly on the horizon, as the clouds seemed to fly away, as they will one day, when things hidden are revealed, and when all justice will be delivered. A terrible and righteous justice.

They stopped the car beyond the walls, and waited a while before climbing them. Ms. Madison was glad that she'd decided to wear jeans for a change. However elegant a burglar may look in a dress, that elegance is not improved by the effects of climbing over a wall and making one's way through undergrowth. Ms. Madison flicked on her torch briefly, making a scan of her surroundings, before hurrying on towards the house. Andrea followed in her steps, gun in one hand.

"Why are we here?" she not unnaturally enquired.

"The Green Man knows," Ms. Madison replied, confident. "The man who lives here, Jameson Line, is a supporter of the Order of Cain, and the Green Man believes he might know a little of the Order's plans."

"Even if he's a mug who they're just using?" the armed redhead spoke softly.

"Even if, my dear Andrea." The familiar deep voice of the Green Man caused both girls to start.

"The Green Man!" the two girls looked up at the tall figure who stood in the gloom.

"In one," the Green Man chuckled. "I've just come from the mansion, and it would seem that Mr. Line knew something about the Order's plans."

"Knew?" Ms. Madison's voice was filled with foreboding.

"He was packing, ready to leave America for Switzerland," the masked figure replied, looking towards the darkened mansion. "But he'll never make it. In fact, he'll never go anywhere again. He's dead."

The Cosmic Crime: Part Four

Andrea winced at the gunshot. And, yes, she did feel genuine regret at the apparent passing of Ms. Madison. Maybe she hadn't known the blonde well, but she had known her well enough to know that she was a brave young woman. But she also knew that the Green Man did not take the murder of his employees at all well. The Order of Cain would not only be smashed, but even those already in the custody of the Police would perish quite miserably. And yet to live and see justice done would be better.

"Your turn next," the apparent leader of this Cainite death-squad spoke harshly. "Turn around."

"No." Andrea was insolent. "Besides, what are you going to do if I don't?"

"There's more than one way to kill someone," the man replied.
"And?" Andrea smiled. "If you think I'll do as you say just because you threaten to shoot me so that I die slowly, then you're a bigger fool than you look. You see, if you do anything other than shoot me through the head, you and one of your men are going ahead of me. And to the other place."

The man cocked his gun, but Andrea's defiant words had bought more than just a pause. A couple of gunshots split the air. Two men fell at once, while the remainder turned, ready to engage the foe at their backs. As they turned, two more of them fell, and Andrea took out another couple. The others were diced in a lethal cross-fire.

"That should teach them." Much to Andrea's amazement, it was Ms. Madison who strode into the room, wrapped in a towel. "Don't they know that girls like us always take a pocket pistol into the shower?"

"The girl with the waterproofed Derringer?" Andrea smiled.

"Got it in one," Ms. Madison grinned. "The Green Man gave it to me a long time ago, and it's saved my life a lot of times since then." She laid down the revolver she held in her other hand, answering all questions as to just how she'd been able to shoot so many people. "And once you kill one gunman there's always a spare gun."

"True." Andrea started disarming and trying to identify the dead men. They'd have to leave the mission at any rate, but she was sure the wicked Order of Cain would not try to frame them as ruthless killers. It was too obviously a shoot-out. Ms. Madison left to get changed.

*********************

It was after Ms. Madison had put on some clothes and had finished helping bury the bodies that the 'phone rang. She snatched it up at once.

"You've arrived." The Green Man spoke without asking who was on the other end. "And the Order of Cain have made an attempt to kill you."

"Two," Ms. Madison corrected him. "But you're essentially right. Where do we go from here?"

"An estate a few miles outside Los Angeles," the Green Man replied. "Owned by Jameson Line, the actor. He's a supporter of the Order of Cain, so you should be able to find a few clues as to their plans."

"Tonight," Ms. Madison agreed. "And we'll take the burglary kit."

The Cosmic Crime: Part Three

Ms. Madison screamed, while Andrea struggled to control the car. The big coupé slammed into the car a second time. Ms. Madison took a pull at herself, reaching into her handbag.

"No," Andrea shook her head. "If you start a shoot-out we'll end up in gaol! I'll have to out-drive them!"

"How?" Ms. Madison's eyes were wild, as the car rammed them again. A tire blew, and the sports car swerved off the road. Ms. Madison was glad of her seatbelt, as the car struck a tree, the front buckling. Ms. Madison felt a jolt, her hair spilling across her face. This time she saw Andrea draw a gun from the glove compartment. This time, she knew, there was going to be trouble...

The buckled attacking car stopped, and three men in the sinister black robes of the Order of Cain stepped out, drawing guns from under their robes. Ms. Madison drew her handbag gun. If these men were going to shoot, they'd take a few injuries, at the very least. Then, as swiftly as they had stopped, they returned to the car. Looking behind them, Ms. Madison saw a police car.

"I never," she observed to Andrea, " thought I'd be glad to see a Police car."

"Glad or not," Andrea sighed, "do you have those forged licences?"

"And the Secret Service identifications," Ms. Madison laughed. "I don't know where the Green Man gets this stuff, but it's as good as the originals."

Whatever the origins of the identification, they were allowed to go, with looks of admiration from the policemen. Ms. Madison looked adorable, and they got an even better car at the garage. Soon, they were back on the road, heading out into the desert, towards the border between California and Mexico.

At last, Andrea parked the car outside a dilapidated old Mission. It looked very derelict indeed, but as they entered it they found it cool and refreshing. Ms. Madison went to get a shower, while Andrea crossed into the old chapel.

There, waiting for her, were ten black-robed figures. Andrea stopped dead, her heart in her mouth.

"You didn't honestly think we wouldn't find you, did you?." One of the figures in black spoke mockingly, a gun pointed at Andrea's heart. "We were just waiting for you to bring the blonde back here."

A shot rang out from the bathroom. One of the men in black laughed.

"And that's the end of her," he observed.

The Cosmic Crime: Part Two

Andrea met Ms. Madison at the airport, driving a fast car. She smiled, seeing the classy beauty of the Secretary.

"I'm afraid you're going to get very dusty," she told Ms. Madison, voice hearty. "We're headed for a little cabin in the hills outside the city. And you," she looked across at the blonde, "are going to have to get some new kit. Out here everyone's relaxed. You'll stick out like a sore thumb."

"I don't mind," Ms. Madison laughed back, her tones musical. "After all, we're monk-hunting, aren't we?"

"You've got it," Andrea nodded. "Hop in. I'll fill you in on the way there."

The girls got into Andrea's roadster, and soon they were headed out of the city at speed. Ms. Madison removed her hat, letting thewind whip at her hair. She laughed, glad to feel the sun on her face. America was refrshingly different from England, and she loved it. Soon, she'd be able to wind everything up, and then she could get down to some serious sunbathing.

"This is lovely, isn't it?" she turned to speak to Andrea, donning her sunglasses.

"Better than gloomy old England," Andrea concurred. "What shall we do next?"

"Show me the hidden headquarters of the Order of Cain," Ms. Madison told her colleague. "Then we can call for the Green Man."

"I don't know where it is," Andrea confessed. "Only that that Order of Cain is active here. I was attacked by them on Sunset Boulevard - black robes and all!"

"So we operate here on the assumption that this is their base of operations, then?" Ms. Madison tore her eyes away from the scenery.

"I assume that's why the Green Man sent you over," Andrea nodded. "Do you think he's close behind?"

"Wherever he is," Ms. Madison replied, "it's the right place."

In talking, the girls had quite forgotten to check their surroundings. They did not notice the car that pulled up beside them until it slammed into the side of the roadster.

The Cosmic Crime: Part One

Two months have passed since the leader of the Order of Cain escaped from their secret temple in Ringstead, Norfolk. The Brethren in Ringstead are either dead or under arrest for the murder of a number of prominent amateur historians. While the Police believe that they have cracked the case, the Green Man knows that the Order of Cain are planning a serious crime. A crime of cosmic proportions. Accordingly, the Green Man's agents of vengeance are combing the world for a trace of the remaining members of the Order of Cain. As our story opens, Ms. Madison has been called away from a dance at the Savoy with her long-term admirer, Mr. Michael Rake and told to board a cab. This cab has taken Ms. Madison out of London and stopped at the gates of a long-deserted country house.

Ms. Madison approached the house cautiously, the heels of her evening slippers sinking into the leaf mold Straggling branches tugged at her dress, but she was able to shrug them off. Flicking on her flashlight, Ms. Madison approached the overgrown door. Brushing the bushes aside, Ms. Madison climbed the steps and entered the derelict house.

"Good evening, Ms. Madison." She was greeted by the familiar voice of the Green Man. "Did I interrupt anything?"

"Lots," Ms. Madison replied. "Mike - Mr. Rake- was about to propose. You spared me the need to think up a new excuse. Why must you hang around in places like this?"

"A house being reclaimed by nature," the Green Man spoke softly. "Appropriate for the Green Man, don't you think?"

"I suppose so," the blonde smiled. "I won't ask why I can't meet you at your real base. I know that. Now, why did you call me?"

"The Order of Cain," the Green Man replied. "Andrea has been co-ordinating search efforts in America. Today she called me from Sacramento, capital of California, to say that she's been involved in a shoot-out with some gentlemen in black robes. It looks like we have located their American base of operations. And, according to the words spoken by the leader of the order, America is to be the target of their next crime. A crime of truly cosmic proportions."

"I know," Ms. Madison nodded. "The order of Cain believe that the commission of what seem like horrifying crimes is part of the movement towards enlightenment."

"You will return to the taxi," the Green Man went on. "The taxi will take you straight to the airport, where you will board a flight to Los Angeles. There, you will meet Andrea and hunt for the base of the Order in California. We have to discover what this crime is that the order intends. And then we must stop it. Whatever it takes."

As the taxi carried her away from the derelict house, Ms. Madison could not but look back. She wondered what was the matter.