Dog pile...

Having successfully managed to capture one of the invisible beasts living in the disused Down Street underground station, MI6s team of enhanced individuals are now rushing to capture the huge mother beast that has rushed into the darkness of Hyde Park. MI6s team consists of Alfie Baldrick, the one man rifle section; Mimi Dubois, maîtresse of skills; Madeline Forsyth, the living shadow; and Sven Hyse, the Norwegian shapeshifter.

London, England, July 1948

Madeline and I arrive at Brompton Road station and discover that the damage caused by the female hound has been boarded up and there is no sign of disturbance or evidence of the suspected male hound to be seen, and so we decide to head back to Down Street station to see if we can find the others. Sven, Alfie, and Billy had descended into the darkness of the station with nothing but their torches guiding their way and armed with tranquillizer rifles. They inch slowly towards the platform and discover that the nest is empty and there is no sign of Madeline or myself, that is soon remedied when we arrive and discover Sven poking through the nest.

As we are discussing what to do next, Alfie is contacted mentally by Isy who has received a call from Superintendent Chapman who has asked us to contact him with regards to an animal attack in Hyde Park. Alfie tells Isy to inform Chapman that we are already on the case, but that it would be appreciated if he could share any information that he has with us. After a short while the Superintendent contacts the safe house and confirms that the vagrant was severely mauled but did live and is now unconscious in hospital. He also confirms that it was a PC Sutherland that was first on the scene and that the attack occurred sometime around 3am, Chapman informs Isy that he has cleared it for us to speak to both the vagrant when he regains consciousness as well as PC Sutherland.

The team come up with a plan to trap the beast in one of the lower tunnels of Down Street station and Sven spends an afternoon rigging up three net traps within the tunnels. That evening Madeline and I wait patiently in the dark for the beast to show, while the others wait in the car parked within the mews armed with the tranquillizer rifles. But the beast does not show. And nor does it show the night after, or the night after that. In fact it is almost two weeks before anything happens.

London, England, August 1948

We had covered the floor near the mews entrance to Down Street station with flour, and had tasked Isy with visiting the scene every morning to check for any sign of movement. And on the 5th of August Isy contacts Alfie to let him know that there are floury paw prints outside of the stations rear entrance. Sven swiftly transforms into a thrush and flies straight there, while the rest of us quickly get ready and jump into the car with Charlie at the wheel. After a moment of looking at the tracks Sven is able to confirm that they match those of the male hound and that it exited the station recently. It is then that both he and Isy hear the sound of a police whistle in the distance. The pair run in the direction of the whistle, and quickly realise that it is coming from the direction of Hyde Park.

Isy and Sven dash across Park Lane, dodging traffic as they go, and run towards the shrill whistle. And then the whistling stops. The pair skid to a halt and hurriedly stare about, Sven spots someone running away from them through the trees and so they set off in chase of them. It was at this moment that Isy realised that, with the exception of his trusty blade, he was unarmed and sprinting towards what might be a massive invisible hound. They spot a group of people in the distance crowed around something laying near one of the many crossroads of pathways that crisscross Hyde Park, and then Isy grunts in pain as something huge clamps down on his arm.

Charlie pulls the car up to Albert Gate with a squeal of brakes and Alfie, Madeline, and I leap out and rush into the park. With no idea where to go Madeline shouts;

Head for the bandstand!

And so we run for that landmark. As we get close Alfie yells;

It's bitten Isy!

I ask him where? And he replies with no sense of irony;

On the arm Ma'am!

He then points to the north, and through the trees we all spot Isy and Sven fighting something invisible.

Isy breaths a sign of relief as his armour deflects the worst of the hounds bite, but he disturbed to find that his arm is clamped tight in the huge jaws of the invisible beast. The hound snaps again at Isy, trying to gain a better hold of the Corporal, Isy grasps his blade and stabs hard at the creature but his knife glances off of it's thick hide. Huge fangs spring from Sven's jaw and he attempts to sink them into the invisible beast, but he also sees his attack slip off of the creatures hide. The hound throws Isy to the ground and clamps it's fanged maw down on Sven.

Sven's enhanced power transforms the damage from the vicious attack into energy to engorge his muscles and a newly heavily muscled Sven smashes his fist into the side of the beasts head. The hound is staggered by the force of the blow, but it quickly recovers and shakes Sven like a rag doll before dropping him to the floor. Isy leaps to his feet and bravely jumps onto the back of the beast and clings on for dear life. But the hound shakes itself like a wet dog and throws Isy unceremoniously to the floor. Sven runs over and quickly scans the floor, pointing in a direction and yelling;

It's run that way!

As the words leave his mouth the beast, which seems to have circled around, snaps at Isy again. But the unarmed Baldrick is relieved when the beast misses by a hairs breadth. Isy once again leaps onto the invisible hound and grapples with it. Sven follows suit and leaps at the space where he believes that it's body is. He connects and grabs hold. Again the beast shakes itself to try and dislodge the pair but they are dug in like a tick on a dogs back. The pair coordinate their strength and both of them heave simultaneously and manage to topple the hound to the ground. Isy shouts;

Quick! Quick! It's down!

We could just see them in front of us and Alfie rushes forwards, duplicating as he goes, and a number of Baldricks dog pile onto the invisible hound. With Sven's enhanced strength, and the multiple forms of Corporal Baldrick they manage to pin the beast down. Alfie mentally summons Charlie and there is a howl of tyres as the car bounces up the curb and slaloms through the trees to skid to a halt beside us. Charlie leaps out clutching Sven's veterinary bag and hands the Norwegian a syringe of tranquillizer. Sven grabs hold of the hounds tail and jabs the syringe into the soft tissue beneath. After a short while the beast stops fighting and slumps into unconsciousness.

Alfie mentally contacts Jonny at Hanslope Park and asks for Major Sawdon to scramble the resources of MI6 to secure the scene. Madeline heads over to inspect the crowd of bystanders, who are paying us very little attention but seem to be focused on something on the floor in their midst. She finds that they are crowded around an injured police constable, who is alive and bleeding. She quickly administers first aid and stops the blood loss moments before the sound of an ambulance can be heard entering the park. Five minutes after the first ambulance arrived, a military ambulance swings into the park and heads directly towards us. Within moments, the body of the hound is man handled into the rear of the military ambulance and Sven and the Baldricks pile in behind it. Madeline and I jump into the car with Charlie and our small convoy leaves quickly in the direction of Hanslope Park.

That evening, over a lovely dinner in the officers mess, Major Sawdon receives our debriefing and once he has heard everything he looks slowly around the table and with a nod of his head says;

Good work everyone. Bloody good work!

Sawdon suggests that we should return to London, as he is convinced that is where we will encounter the enhanced criminals. But he also suggests that we have earnt some downtime and so we stay at Hanslope Park for a week, with some of us taking the opportunity to continue our training.

At 6am on the morning of Saturday the 20th August 1948, the phone in the safe house rings. A sleepy Isy answers it and hears the voice of Superintendent Chapman on the end of the line. Chapman just says;

Billy Hill has been spotted in Eastcastle Street. Get the team moving!

Isy slams the phone down and starts shouting the alarm.

Charlie slides the car around the outside of Hyde Park and into Oxford Street, and then onto Great Titchfield Street. As we are speeding along, the sharp eared Sven hears a chattering sound that he instantly recognizes as the sound of a Sten gun being fired. Charlie skids the car into Eastcastle Street and we can see a Postal van being blocked in the street by a pair of cars, one across the road in front of it and one behind, and a quick headcount reveals approximately nine criminals engaged in robbing the van. I push out with my senses and am a little disquietened when I receive four returns.