S C O T L A N D  Y A R D

CHAPTERS: The chapters of this story are published live for collaboration development purposes, with a sequence derived from the Chapters below, supplemented with other (unpublished) writings as we progress. The final order for the proposed screenplay may be the subject of additional drafts to suit production of the final movie (producers/directors/actors).

<<<<<< TOMB RAIDERS

510,30’N, 00 – LONDON, SCOTLAND YARD

A ray of glorious sunshine broke through the heavily laden rain clouds far above, illuminating the southern stretch of the Giles Westhorpe club course. It was a typical English Sunday morning, the church bells were ringing and a gentle breeze played through nearby trees, rustling their leaves occasionally.

A tall, slightly overweight man dressed in a pale cream cardigan and checked plus fours, was lining himself up on the thirteenth for the putt of his life. Right on cue, an extra burst of sunlight highlighted the green’s depressions, as if a director had signaled action. He mentally plotted a theoretical course, and swung his club gently and confidently. The ball trickled to the left of the mark, veered right, then, came back on course at the last moment, to roll right into the thirteenth hole. Four below par: impossibly good luck and his best performance ever. He felt elated and almost danced a jig.

Chief Constable Harry Holland was a busy man. The only peaceful pursuit and the love of his life, was a game of golf. It kept him sane in an insane world of crime and corruption, of which he'd climbed to the top of the heap. Sunday was the one day he indulged his passion. The after hours drinking in the clubhouse, also kept him away from his wife until the afternoon lunch. Many a crime was solved at the nineteenth hole. Just five more holes to sink. Then unexpectedly his pager went off. He would have turned the blasted thing off, but regulations were regulations. He looked down at the screen message: ‘Urgent you call the Yard. Flannigan.’

Blast. Harry knew if he didn’t call, the suspense would ruin his game, and that if he did call, that would also probably ruin his game. He pulled an old Blackberry from his golf bag top pocket and dialed: Yard. Three rings later, Shaun Flanagan answered. “Sir. We’ve had a break in.”

“What,” said Harry, who’s we?” 

“The Yard. I know Sir. Not only is it true, but you’ll never guess what they’ve taken?” 

“Go on.”

“Sir, the one thing we promised the public could never happen.” 

Harry roughly threw his club into the bag, and jumped on the electric golf cart, setting off at maximum speed for the club house, grooving the course in the process, for which he would be fined by the club. Thirty-five minutes later with a heat plume pouring from his tyres and an engine fit to burst, the Chief Constable guided his cherished E-Type Jaguar into the reserved parking place, not in the slightest concerned that he’d broken the speed limit in a built up zone; practically the whole journey.

Speed cameras would later catalogue his excesses in the interests of national security. Harry’s mind was racing, his heart pounding fit to bust. The press mustn’t get hold of this.

Once in the offices, Harry headed for Sergeant Flanagan's desk. As the duty staff saw their Chief coming, they averted their eyes and tried to look extra busy. It wasn’t a bright thing to attract attention when the heat was on. There was though no need to find his sergeant, he just followed the trail of smashed doors, bullet holes, and seriously injured officers, his worst fears realised.

This led him to the National Crime Database, the NCD, thought to be the most secure information network in the world. The storage hardware for which is housed in a steel lined reinforced concrete basement the size of a small warehouse, with several levels of physical security bulkheads, time-locked doors and electronic sensor arrays to rival Fort Knox.

In addition, only secure terminals with level one operators, who were in turn vetted and electronically monitored daily, could gain access to the NCD. Requests for information flowed into and out of Scotland Yard by the hundreds, daily. The fourth most common request being for DNA comparison. The United Kingdom was not the only country in the world to maintain DNA on file, long after crimes had been solved. Other non criminal DNA data was also kept, despite human rights protestations and the obvious problems this might create if there was a security breach.

This was it, the mother of all breaches. The entire database had been compromised. The highjackers had made off with almost all the thousands of DNA samples, both physical and digital. Special Branch and forensics officers were already milling around in white overalls. The Chief too had to pull on overalls if he wanted to see for himself the damage, which of course he did. But, oddly enough, there wasn’t much damage, in hardware terms, just a few doors blown open at this level. Clearly then, the thieves had overcome resistance by this time. It was the human cost at the upper levels that was worrying. The Yard looked like a war zone. It looked like a military operation.

Utterly devastated, the Chief Constable tried to retain his composure, even though he knew that if this was possible in his back yard, nowhere was safe. 

“Alright everyone, stand still and listen,” Harry bellowed, as he stroked his chin thinking. “It goes without saying that nobody says anything to anyone about this. Is that clear?”

A silence followed, where all those in hearing range nodded. 

“Everyone is to report to me. No exceptions. I need to know anything and everything. Right now I’m going back to my office and I want the CCTV feeds from all cameras, inside and out, for about an hour prior to this incident, in the surveillance operations room, in about twenty minutes. Get onto it gentlemen - ladies. Nobody leaves until the area is sealed off and secured.”

Harry briskly marched to his office, without observing any of the niceties. He slumped at his desk and flicked the intercom. 

“Sally?”

“Sir.” 

“Bring me a strong sweet tea will you love and hold all calls.”

He picked up the desk phone, selecting a secure line. “Hello, put me though to the minister please. Yes, Chief Constable Holland. Yes, I know it’s Sunday.”

Harry unlocked his desk drawer and took out his service automatic, a compact 9mm pistol. “Minister?”

“Yes Chief Holland. It's Sunday man, what’s so important you’re disturbing me?”

As Harry relayed details of the attack, the justice minister slumped in his chair. He’d backed the Chief’s plans many years ago, to store DNA, against public opinion. It was good for his career. They’d said it was safe and would prevent crime – good for a few political brownie points. Obviously, this was a terrorist attack, or some other group with a grudge against society. But, protestors didn’t kill people. The puzzling thing though was the robbery. It took such a lot of extra effort and planning. Why didn’t the highjackers just destroy the database?

There had been a long line of justice ministers trying to control crime using questionable methods. Nick Johnson was one of them, a whitewash merchant, who’d risen through the ranks and learned all the dirty civil servant tricks, until voted an MP. Once privy to the real agendas, all he’d been required to do was stay tight lipped. Never answer a question honestly and let the senior civil servants run the show. Nick Johnson was as expert at this, greasy as butter and sickly sweet. All he had to do was stick to the script and this little hiccup would soon be covered up. They just needed to catch the culprits, or a scapegoat and some diversionary slight of hand. Before things escalated into another Horizon Post Office scandal. Or, NHS Covid disaster.

“Okay Chief, so that’s the bad news. Now this is your mess and you can jolly well clean it up.” 

Harry did not like being dictated to. 

“I seem to remember backing you minister, when you wanted a rival roughed up.” 

"Okay, okay Chief, we’ve scratched a few backs. But, be a good fellow and catch the bastards, or find a do-gooder to take the heat.”

Heat. There’d been plenty of that over the years. Enquiry after enquiry. Trigger happy armed officers had shot several innocent members of the public, which took a lot of explaining. The police were largely unaccountable, where justice machinery flowed like treacle molasses in winter. Enquiries took years to conclude, and recommendations were just swept under the carpet, like so many European Court rulings. As business as usual reigned supreme.

Thousands of criminal convictions had been obtained in suspicious circumstances to massage figures for political purposes. Prisons were full to bursting point, tinder boxes of discontent, further alienating those within from society, rather than building bridges. Prisoners rights were taken away and access to the courts cut, to quell protest. It had been like a police state for years, but the voting public were none the wiser, where spin doctors told them what they wanted to believe. Politicians kept the awful truth to themselves, and the police became more powerful as a result. Unfortunately, such tactics had bred ever more discontent in the underworld, which inevitably would spill over one day.

The banks effectively controlled politicians, who’d been happy to milk the system themselves and just keep their eyes closed to the inevitable meltdown this would lead to. Ordinary people were milked of taxes and interest charges, to keep the lucky few at the top drawing huge bonuses for doing very little, except turning a blind eye to the social inequality they were perpetuating and shining the seats they sat on. Knowing that never ending growth is of course unsustainable in a world of finite resources. Zero growth should have been the equilibrium target.

“What we need now, is someone gullible enough not to realise he is being used, and with the right image. Some kind of intellectual, a professor or expert who might head a quango. The hint of a knighthood would be sure to secure cooperation. Catch my drift?”

Harry was thinking the same thing. Once again he’d got the official go ahead he was after. Now who’s gullible and disposable? 

“What about that John Storm chap. Didn't we try to buy into his database once." 

"You're right Minister. He told us to get knotted as I recall. What was his line?"

"He needed assurances that we would not give him. Then we tried to frame him to steal his know-how," said Harry.

"Yes, Sordid business, tried it with his uncle too. No dice. We caught a cold on that one. But if he does not play ball, we could dig deeper, eh Harry?"

"Minister, let me have a memo to that effect and we’ve got a deal. He could be our patsy.”

“Okay old boy, done. Now let me get on with my Sunday there’s a good chap,” and with that the justice minister put the phone down.

Now, what about that footage. If they could catch the culprits, they’d not need a patsy. Harry climbed out of his overalls, still wearing plus-fours. For just such occasions, the Chief kept a change of clothing in a wall cupboard. He somewhat clumsily swapped outfits, with a dark blue uniform and cap. There was a knock on the door. Harry pushed a button on the floor with his right foot. A green light flashed outside and Sally entered the room holding a tray with a china tea set, and a plate with biscuits. 

“Custard creams okay sir.” 

“Dandy. Now, can you see how they’re doing with that CCTV love?” 

Sally gracefully placed the tray on his desk, smiled, blinked and retreated to her desk, briskly.

The chief again selected a secure line. “Hello, put me through to General Dunbar.” There was silence on the line for six interminable minutes. “The General sir,” came back a husky female smokers voice. “Sorry for the delay.” 

“Rodney?” 

“Harry.” 

“Something big is going on, is it your crowd?” 

“Not sure what you mean Harry. Give me a clue?” 

“Do you know anything about a covert Op on the database?” 

“No. Not us, what’s the heads up?” 

“Well, let me put it this way, how is your super soldier project coming on. Any strays? Awols?” 

“No, said the General. Christ, are you suggesting …..” 

“Why don’t you come to my factory and take a look see – plain clothes?”

“Don’t mind if I do."

“Thirty minutes?” 

“Splendid.”

The chief exited his office. 

“Sally, keep them open. I’m going down to surveillance. The General is meeting me in thirty. Can you show him where love.”

“Sir.”

Harry made his way to the surveillance operations room, on the third floor. Actually, the whole landing was surveillance, but the operations room was the central hub. There was no damage on this level, no debris to negotiate …….

OPERATION ALEXANDRIA >>>>>>

THE BATTLE OF ACTIUM - Queen Cleopatra retreats leaving Mark Antony to lose against Octavian and seek a new deal with Rome.

THE POISON ASP - Hotfoot from Actium, Cleopatra's plan to seduce Octavian backfired leading to a suicide pact with Anubis and Isis

TANZANIA - THE STORM BREAKS - Fanatical DNA collector, John Storm, finds Homo erectus skull, Olduvia Gorge, in Tanzanian dig site.

WRATH OF THE GODS - 365BC destruction of Thonis and Alexandria, Anubis and Isis watch on in horror as Cleopatra is submerged.

WWII ENIGMA - The birth of computers at Bletchley Park under Alan Turing, and his visits from Anubis and Isis, who see the potential in his ideas.

SYDNEY WILL READING - John's uncle Douglas vanished, declared dead, the adventurer inherits keys and a note from George Franks.

ANGEL OF DEATH - Anubis and Isis occupy Josef Mengele's and Adolf Hitler's subconscious as spirits steering their legacies.

INNER CIRCLE OF SIX - Joseph Mengele's Fourth Reich plans an escape to Brazil to develop Nazi-funded human research laboratories.

NELSON BAY - John visits the coordinates George gave him, to discover the Elizabeth Swann, ARK and Hal, AI computer.

BRAZIL BOUND - Doctor Death bargains for funding and logistics of relocation to Amazon South American base via Argentina.

NEW WORLD ORDER - A former Neo-Nazi plan to regenerate Aryan supremacy, develops into a cause for good.

REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE - Having reached the end of his PhD, William and Jane Bates have epiphanies, Will should follow his dream.

ROADBLOCK - Nobody would fund his R&D, William and Jane Bates are blanked by DARPA, computer and software houses.

THE AFTERLIFE - Cleopatra's tomb lay lost for centuries submerged and out of sight with little change of discovery.

QUANTUM LEAP - Jane and Will find backers, then US military and computer processor chip makers cyber attack, hack and bug them.

WASHING MACHINE - Inventor Franco Francisco comes up with the Incubus, artificial uterus concept while repairing his household appliance.

EXIT STRATEGY - Realising they will always be a target from industrial and military espionage, Jane & Will devise a cunning plan.

PATENT APPLICATION - Franco Francisco files his Claims with the Italian Intellectual Property Office (IPO) in Roma, Italia.

CYBERCORE GENETICA - Nano computer technology is purchased at an auction by a semi religious sect, New World Order.

INCUBUS - Roberta Ferrara secures the expertise of Franco Francisco for knights of the New World Order: Neuwelt Rittertum.

SPLICE - Klaus and Eva von Kolreuter find a way to live forever using cloning technology; Genonimo Investments, Geneva.

TREMORS - Cleopatra's feels vibrations after a shift in the tectonic plates triggered a tremor off the coast of Alexandria.

PANAMANIAN RUNNING MAN - The secret is out, an enhanced human is spotted running at unbelievable speeds.

THE ARK - NeuWelt Rittertum headhunt John Storm seeking access to his genetic DNA map of life on earth, but they fail to reach agreement.

MARJORIE BOYLE - Sam Hollis tracks down sexy backpacker, Majorie Boyle, to Brighton Point in Trinidad, beautiful Caribbean Island.

THE AMAZON - Charley agrees to meet John & Dan at Manaus, but is a little too inquisitive.

OPERATION LEVIATHAN - New World Knights, Klaus and Franco go to Plan 'B' to track and steal the Elizabeth Swann & The Ark DNA database.

TOMB RAIDERS - Safiya Sabuka and Musa Bomani dive among sifting sands to discover precious artifacts and golden treasures.

SCOTLAND YARD - The famous London DNA database is stolen, the biggest data heist to date. The Yard initiates a cover up.

OPERATION ALEXANDRIA - Neo-Nazi occultists recover Cleopatra's sarcophagus from underwater tomb near Palace.

SALVAGE RIGHTS - Entering Cleopatra's mausoleum, locating sarcophagus and raising with air bags to the surface, Safiya Sabuka tomb raider.

COASTGUARD PATROL - Safiya and Musa surface off Alexandria to a waiting customs vessel, they pretend to be sports divers fooling the officials.

UNESCO - Catholic Church fear grave desecration heritage theft, asks agencies for help. Interpol issue Red Notice.

KIDNAP - Charley is taken prisoner but John rescues her, in the process becoming injected with a serum.

SARCOPHAGUS OPENING - The wooden inner casket is opened revealing Cleopatra's mummy, golden crown and death mask, perfectly preserved.

AWAKENING - In the afterlife, the DNA extracted from Cleopatra's mummy triggers a divine stirring with Anubis and Isis comforting the Nile Queen.

REPLICANT - The Society reproduce Cleopatra using Francisco's RepliVator™, uploading synapse sequence and implanted memories.

BRAIN CONDITIONING - Klaus and Franco upload digitally recreated memories in historical order to trigger correct learned synapse firing sequence

REBORN - The former Queen of Egypt speaks for the first time to her creators, proving that her brain is working, the implants succeeded.

FULL STEAM AHEAD - Storm speeds to Thonis, then uses the Swann's AI sensors and the Ark database to find tomb has been plundered.

PROPOSAL - Baron von Richhofen's gambit, a union of Royal ancient and Aryan blood, for strength and intellect, a powerful heir as her successor

RITUAL SACRIFICE - The Baron prepares a drugged Cleopatra for ceremonial impregnation.

MANAUS TO ALEXANDRIA - A hydrogen powered race across the Atlantic Ocean in nine days, John Storm guided by Anubis and Isis.

SANCTUM INTERRUPTUS - John finds secret Nazi hideout near Alexandria, disturbs ritual - rescues Cleopatra, arresting conspirators.

THE CHOSEN ONE - The reincarnated Cleopatra falls for her rescuer. John comes under her spell, despite her being a replicant.

MOVIES, WHAT ARE THEY - Reincarnated Nile Queen asks John and Dan to explain films, they show her 20th C. Fox 1963 Elizabeth Taylor biopic.

MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE - John suggest a tour of the Wadj Ur, Thalassa Nostrum, to relax Cleopatra, Hal plans the ultimate experience.

JOHN'S BLOODLINE - Dan and Hal trace trace John's noble lineage back to the iconic figures of Ancient Egypt & Roman General Mark Antony

DÉJÀ VU - Dan and Hal reveal John's family tree as being related to Roman General Mark Antony via Julia and Queen Drusilla of Mauretania.

MEDICAL EXAMINATION - Jack Mason talks John and Cleopatra into agreeing to a check up at Port Royal, Jamaica, working for NSA and CIA

GEORGE WARNS OF TORTURE - Franks radios Swann to tell John & Dan that New World Knights are being tortured at Guantánamo Bay, you're next.

JESUS CHRIST - Cleopatra asks about this man. John, Dan & Hal explain he is an ancient religious preacher from Galilee, son of Yahweh, Hebrew god.

BIOCORE BRAIN IMPLANT - Dan and Cleopatra drill John's skull, occipital bone implanting biological chip to interface with CyberCore Genetica.

DARPA, NSA & CIA - National security and military intelligence chiefs Iras Charmian and Dr Stefan Raengst, plot to remove all human obstacles.

MILITARY INTERVENTION - The military detain Cleopatra to appease stakeholders, despite media & medical protests. Storm distraught.

BATTLE ARMOUR - Thanks to some unexplained divine intervention, Dan Hawk talks John Storm into wearing a bullet proof suit.

GUANTÁNAMO BAY - History repeats itself, US military kidnap Cleopatra, John forced to rescue puts Elizabeth Swann at risk.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE - Commander John Storm, in Navy SEAL mode, attacks the Cuban torture camp at Guantánamo Bay, in stealth mode, black op.

MISSILE LOCK - USA military try to hack into Hal, anticipating a strike, as the DOD launch Tomahawks, John hacks into NORAD, and redirects them.

PRESIDENT LINCOLN TRUMAN - Hails the Swann to find out why John is shooting missiles at Guantánamo Bay, Storm sets the record straight. FINALE

PROLOGUE    INNER CIRCLE OF SIX - Nazi funded medical human research laboratories Joseph Mengele's Fourth Reich escape to Brazil reserve plan.

CHAPTER 1.   THE POISON ASP - Hotfoot from Actium, Cleopatra's plan to seduce Octavian backfired leading to a suicide pact with Anubis and Isis

CHAPTER 2.   WRATH OF THE GODS - The destruction of Thonis and Alexandria

CHAPTER 3.   NEW WORLD ORDER - A Neo-Nazi plan to regenerate Aryan supremacy

CHAPTER 4.   CYBERCORE GENETICA - Nano computer technology is purchased at an auction by a religious sect.

CHAPTER 5.   INCUBUS - Italian scientist Franco Francisco invents a cloning machine and is head hunted by Neuwelt Rittertum

CHAPTER 6.   SPLICE - Klaus and Eva Kolreuter's search for everlasting life, the fountain of youth

CHAPTER 7.   TREMORS - Cleopatra's tomb lay lost for centuries. Until a shift in the tectonic plates triggered a tremor off the coast of Alexandria.

CHAPTER 8.   PANAMANIAN RUNNING MAN - Backpacker Majorie Boyle's Blog features Panama running at incredible speed

CHAPTER 9.   THE AMAZON - The largest river by discharge volume, 2nd longest after the Nile

CHAPTER 10. TOMB RAIDERS - Safiya Sabuka and Musa Bomani dive among sifting sands to discover precious artifacts and golden treasures.

CHAPTER 11. SCOTLAND YARD - Metropolitan police headquarters in London

CHAPTER 12. OPERATION ALEXANDRIA - Neo-Nazi occultists recover Cleopatra's sarcophagus from underwater tomb near Palace.

CHAPTER 13. KIDNAP - Charley is taken prisoner by Neuwelt Rittertum near Manaus, along the Amazon River

CHAPTER 14. UNESCO - Catholic Church fear grave desecration heritage theft, asks agencies for help. Interpol issue Red Notice.

CHAPTER 15. REPLICANT - The Society reproduce Cleopatra using Francisco's RepliVator™, uploading synapse sequence and implanted memories.

CHAPTER 16. FULL STEAM AHEAD - Storm speeds to Thonis, then uses the Swann's AI sensors and the Ark database to find tomb has been plundered.

CHAPTER 17. RITUAL SACRIFICE - The Baron prepares a drugged Cleopatra for ceremonial impregnation.

CHAPTER 18. SANCTUM INTERRUPTUS - John finds secret Nazi hideout near Alexandria, disturbs ritual - rescues Cleopatra, arresting conspirators.

CHAPTER 19. THE CHOSEN ONE - The reincarnated Cleopatra falls for her rescuer. John comes under her spell, despite her being a replicant.

CHAPTER 20. MILITARY INTERVENTION - The military detain Cleopatra to appease stakeholders, despite media & medical protests. Storm distraught.

CHAPTER 21. DÉJÀ VU - History repeats itself, military lock up technology as gross violation of human rights, John left disillusioned:  FINALE FOR NOW

  SCOTLAND YARD IS RAIDED, INDUSTRIAL SABOTEURS STEAL THEIR DNA DATABASE, CORRUPT CHIEF CONSTABLE HAROLD HOLLAND TRIES TO COVER IT UP - THE ADVENTURES OF JOHN STORM: CLEOPATRA & THE MUMMY

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