19 Incarcerated

19 Incarcerated 'Peanut, are you absolutely sure that Milton and this Mr White are one and the same?' asked Mum, still looking bewildered as they followed the group marching Mr Stone towards the prison cells. And that he is responsible for capturing your dad?' 'Yes, Mum,' said Peanut. 'We're sure. When Dad was working for the Resistance, he'd managed to find out that White worked in your building. Plus, Stone looks exactly like White! And look at the hat!' Nerys had returned the white fedora by this point, and it was carelessly perched on Stone's head at a slightly inelegant angle. Also, he KIDNAPPED you, remember!? In Milan?' 'Firstly,' replied Mum, 'I'm not a kid, so how could Milton

kidnap me? And, secondly, if he did kidnap me, I had no idea that I had been kidnapped. Do kidnappers usually take people to the ballet after a fancy dinner at Trattoria Madonnina? I mean, we had the tasting menu and everything!' 'Stone is White, Mum. Trust me. Tracey looked over at Nerys, who nodded. 'I just find it hard to believe. My boss? Responsible for capturing and imprisoning my husband? And also masterminding a plan to rid the entire world of its creativity? It just seems so... unlikely. I guess I never had him down as the megalomaniacal dictator type. Although, come to think of it, he is a bit fussy about his tea. If it isn't exactly the same colour as a manila envelope, he has been known to flounce out of the room and pour it down the sink. ' Well, the important thing is that we have him in custody now,' said Dad. ' Mr White will not be able to utilise his power anymore, Chroma can be restored to its former, technicolour glory and our family is back together again. I've missed out on too much of your lives. You are going to have to fill me in on everything that's happened while I've been locked up. The group arrived at the end of the corridor. Table Guy and The Darkness, on either side of the tied-up Mr White, stood with their prisoner in front of two cell doors. 67 moved forward from their position at the back of the group,

banging forcefully into Rockwell's shoulder as they passed, and unlocked the door on the left. The boy scowled and the robot's eyes flashed red at him— this time Rockwell was sure of it. 'Welcome to your little hotel room, Mr White!' said Table Guy. 'I do hope you enjoy your very lengthy stay with us! Actually, that's not true! I hope you have a miserable time! You've certainly earned it!' Mr Stone looked over his shoulder as the spandex-clad superhero pushed him into the small room on the left. Tracey, Nerys please help me!' he pleaded through the tiny window once the cell door was closed. 'Tell them who I am!' Ignoring Mr Stone's pleas and overcome by curiosity, Nerys walked over to the cell door on the right and peered through the window. Inside, sitting on the bench, was a rather tired-looking Alan. He looked up. When he saw the woman, he smiled. 'Well, hello there,' Alan said. Always nice to see... a new face. Nerys, spooked, jumped backward and shuffled over to stand with the others again. They all heard Alan laughing through the thick walls. 'Don't know what you're so happy about,' Mrs M shouted to Alan. 'Unless it's the fact that your new neighbour is an

old friend. That's right, we've got him, Alan! We have caught Mr White!' Inside the cell, Alan's smile remained. He shook his head, looked down and muttered something about magic tricks. The whole exchange made Peanut feel slightly uneasy. That uneasy feeling soon disappeared, however, when Mr M said that they should head back to the control room to meet up with Jonathan Higginbottom, Josephine Engelberger and some of the other key members of the Resistance. 'I've told them to join us immediately. There's not a moment to lose,' Mr M said. 'We have got the mother of all celebrations to plan, after all! Now that White is locked up for good, it's time for Chroma to PARTY!'