Shopping...

The EIS team, having rescued an innocent couple from the clutches of a vicious biker gang, have driven across America following the trail of Doctor Jackal. The EIS 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.

San Francisco, California, United States of America, November 1949

While Madeline takes the place of Mimi in navigating, with the French lady slipping in and out of consciousness due to the knife wounds sustained in the biker knife fight, Alfie slides in and out of the heavy traffic on the roads of downtown San Francisco heading for the train station on the corner of 4th and King Street. Alfie pulls the car into a parking space just after eight in the morning and Madeline, pulling her wide brimmed hat low, steps out of the car and heads into the station alone.

As she enters she pays very close attention to the various newspaper salesmen set up around the station concourse. She notices that one of them seems to be more interested in watching the faces of the commuters than selling newspapers and so she makes a beeline for him. She purchases a newspaper from him and as she is paying she makes eye contact with the salesman and a moment of recognition crosses his face and he says:

Are you from New Mexico?

Madeline responds:

No I’m from England, but I have travelled here from New Mexico.

A look of confusion crosses the face of the newspaper salesman and he stutters:

Were you sent by Colin?

Taking pity on the poor man Madeline stops playing with him and lets him know that she is and the man, who she confirms is called Terrance, closes up his stall and asks her to follow him. He leads Madeline to a small van and climbs into the drivers seat, Madeline slides into the passenger seat and directs him to drive to where the car is parked, having informed Terrance that one of the team is suffering from serious knife wounds. They pull up in front of the car and Madeline waves for Alfie to follow. The van pulls away and Alfie follows. Terrance takes a circuitous route, constantly checking his mirrors to see if the two vehicles are being followed, noticing this Madeline also keeps watch and confirms that she believes that they are clear.

Terrance drives to a more run down area of suburbs and pulls up outside a nondescript house. He climbs out of the van and gestures for Alfie to park on the driveway while he walks up and knocks on the front door. Terrance enters briefly and then reemerges with another man in his early fifties who walks over to the car and checks the unconscious Mimi. He then directs Alfie and Sven to bring Mimi into the house, Sven picks her up and carries her in as easily as if he was carrying a child. The man directs Sven into a side room that looks very much like a backstreet doctors room, and gets him to place her on a table. The backstreet doctor then ushers everyone out of the room, but Madeline refuses to leave Mimi and the doctor asks if she has any medical experience, when she confirms that she has he gets her to assist him.

Sven and Alfie, leaving Billy in the car keeping lookout, find themselves in a small kitchen which instantly reminds Sven that it has been several hours since he has had anything to eat and so he voices to Alfie the idea of heading out to a local diner. Terrance says that he would rather that everyone stayed within the safe house and after a brief glower, Sven agrees and starts rummaging around the kitchen for something to eat. He rustles up some muffins and a bit of bacon for both Alfie and Billy, Alfie sits down and starts to read the newpaper and Sven flicks on the television set and is excited to hear the opening theme music of the Lone Ranger.

Just over an hour later the doctor, who Madeline had discovered went by the name of Rogers, enters the kitchen with Madeline close behind him. Doctor Rogers informs the team that Mimi will be OK but that she will need several days of rest before she is fit for duty. Terrance thanks the doctor and then asks him to leave before turning to the rest of the team:

Now that we know that your friend is going to be OK shall we get down to business? We have been following one Jonas Salk, a virologist and medical researcher, who your previous investigations had identified as a possible contact for Doctor Jackal. Salk visited San Francisco to meet with representatives of the Mellon family, a rich and philanthropic family, requesting funding for a project that he is working on. The day before he came to San Francisco he was spotted at his home in San Diego with a man matching Dr Jackal's description.

Madeline sipped the mug of coffee that Sven had handed her and responded:

So we need to speak to Salk.

Terrance explains that the medical researcher is dedicated to his work and has a singular focus on it. He also goes on to elaborate the Salk continues to be watched by the British Secret Service as well as others, believed to be the FBI. Madeline asks if Terrance knows which hotel and room Salk is staying in while he is in San Francisco and the British agent says that he does. Madeline just smiles and says:

Then I guess that we had better do some shopping.

They give Terrance enough money to get everything on Madeline's list to build a makeshift disguise kit and Sven's request for a veterinary bag. They also give Doctor Rogers enough money for him to buy them all some food. The doctor returns with a Chinese take out and the team, minus Mimi, set about demolishing it. Terrance returns with all of the kit just in time to eat what is left over and lets Madeline know about a local army surplus store nearby when she asks about picking up some extra equipment for the Baldricks.

Several hours after sunset Alfie drives Madeline to Cals Surplus near the junction of Haight and Ashbury. Alfie pulls the car up outside the store and Madeline slips into the shadows of a side alley in her shadow form. Alfie drives away and parks up further down the street lighting a cigarette keeping watch. Madeline slips along the alleyway to a backyard and slides in under the door that she finds there.

She ends up in a hallway and moves beyond a stairway and under a very heavy duty door that she assumes must lead through into the store. Madeline transforms into her human form inside a well stocked armoury and begins a slow methodical search. She locates a box of nine trench knives that she places in her rucksack and then locates eight Colt 45s and ammunition that she places next to the knives. Having located all that she set out to she starts to look about for anything else that might prove useful. She uncovers a box containing five flare guns, each with two flares, and remembering the Wendigo she places them into the bag and then she strikes explosive gold when buried deep at the back of the armoury to discovers six pineapple grenades that she also steals. Madeline then slips further into the store and helps herself to two first aid kits as well as a field surgeons bag, which is bereft of any drugs but has all of the other required equipment.

After waiting for an hour Alfie sees a policeman approaching the car, he winds down his window and says:

Evening Officer!

The policeman asks him a couple of questions, that the Baldrick somehow manages to answer satisfactorily, and checks his identification documents before asking him to move on as there have been a couple of robberies within the area of late. Alfie complies, and as he pulls away he notices the policeman writing something down, which Alfie assumes is his number plate, in his notepad. Alfie turns the car into the nearest cross street and zig-zags away form the area making sure that he is not being followed before doubling back towards his rendezvous with Madeline. However, as he is starting to head back towards the surplus store he realises that he has become lost, and it is only by a stroke of extraordinary luck that he finds himself back on Haight Street.

Madeline had slid out of the store and into the shadowed alley just in time to see Alfie drive away and the policeman continue his rounds, so she waits for the officer to pass by and then proceeds to head around the block in the opposite direction to the one Alfie took in the hope of meeting up with him. And eventually after an hour or so the pair manage to find each other and head back to the safe house. Once inside Alfie duplicates all of the Baldricks and rearms before de-duplicating once again and heading for bed.

The following morning Madeline convinces Doctor Rogers to supply the team with enough basic medication to stock the field surgeons kit and the team receive some good news when the doctor confirms that Mimi has regained consciousness.