HEX Campaign, The Journey North & beyond act 1

The first part of this story can be found here
https://nickelandimeproductions.blogspot.com/2019/04/hex-campaign-knock-on-door.html

England June 29th  1936

After the meeting the party all went their different ways, Grace decided to head back up towards Oxford street as there was a little cafe just off it that she liked & she knew the owner well, with the weather being fine she walked as it would help pass the time as Grace had nothing to do until they set off.
Over lunch she gave her thoughts to the adventure that lay ahead, could it be right, could  Ultima Thule really exist, could Del & the others still be alive, on hearing the news yesterday like a drowning person she had clutched at any straw that might help but sitting here in the little cafe in the center of London it all seemed impossible & yet Grace along with the other members of the Society of the Blue Blooded on their many adventures had witnessed the impossible often enough to give her hope.

Next she thought on the people who were to accompany her on the trip, were they really the type to undertake such trip, Grace had taken an instance liking to Bill Thomson who she'd found to be a very at ease man but the kind she would imagine to be quite resourceful & dependable, Jenny Cregg she had mixed feelings about, while she seemed very nice Grace's opinion on people of the press was that they never made for good team players, Grace guessed it was because of the dog eat dog nature of the newspaper business, & as for  Gregory Mc Kinley who Grace had taken an instance dislike of, she was sure he be the kind that would be more of a hindrance then a help & the type who would believe that the only opinion that counted would be his own.

Finishing up her lunch Grace looked at her watch it was coming up to 3 o'clock, paying her bill she left & strolled toward Hyde park, she always liked the park & it would be a nice place to spend the rest of the day before heading to the station to meet up with the others.
                                  
Finding a bench she sat down & went back over the meeting in her mind, Nigel had left a lot of things unanswered, who were the other two who where to join them ? where were they going to from the station ? & how where they going to reach Ultima Thule ? Grace didn't like unanswered questions, ah well she thought in for a penny in for a pound.

A little after 6.30 Grace left the park & headed for the station arriving about 7.15, Nigel Warren & Bill Thomson were already there with Jenny Cregg turning up shortly after, by 7.30 & with still no sign of Gregory Mc Kinley.
Warren" we'll give him 5 more minutes  & if he's still not here we'll head for the platform"
2 minutes later they hear Mc Kinley before they seen him bellowing  orders at some poor porter " Mind you take care with that & hurry along I'm already behind time"
Just what I'd expect thought Grace, he's late & now its the porters fault.

Warren" Your all here now so we'll head for the platform, you'll be taking the over night express to Edinburgh & from there you'll take a train to Inverness where you'll be meet & driven to your destination"
As they were walking Grace" Still not giving anymore away then you have to Nigel"
Smiling Warren" Sorry Grace it goes with the job, but don't worry we'll have you in Ultima Thule soon enough.
The train was already at the platform & as they went to board,Warren" Well this were I say goodbye"
Jenny Cregg" You mean your not coming with us Nigel ?
Warren" Afraid not Jenny, but I look forward to your return & hearing all about your adventure, now I like to wish you all a fair & safe journey" & with that he turned & walked away.

Boarding the train they found an empty compartment in 1st class, there was two over night compartments booked for them, one that Grace would share  with Jenny & the other for Bill & Gregory, but no one felt like going to them yet.
                                   
 At exactly 8pm the train pulled off & they were soon speeding through the suburbs of London, after about 20 minutes Gregory excused himself saying how the motion of trains always effected his stomach & clumsily tripped over Jenny's feet on the way out , after he was gone Bill turn to the two women repeating what Gregory had just said & the two women looked at him in amazement before simultaneously bursting out with laughter, for it was not Bill's voice they had heard but an exact replica's of Gregory's.

Opening his hand he showed them a little device that he told them he'd invented & that any voice or sound it hears it can mimic if the person using it holds it up to their neck & use their vocal cords.
Gregory returned a short time later & about 9 they all headed to the dinning car for their evening meal before retiring for the night & by 6.30am on June 30th they had arrived at Edinburgh's Waverley station.
The train to Inverness wasn't due in until 8.40 giving the party enough time to fine a cafe close by that they could have breakfast  in.
When they boarded the Inverness train they found it wasn't up to the same standards as the one from London even though they were traveling 1st class, something that Gregory complained about for the first 10 miles or so of the journey, & a little after mid-day arrived in Inverness where they were meet to be driven by car for the last part of the way just as Warren had said they would.

Grace was delighted to see that there was two cars as it meant her & Jenny could ride in one while Bill & Gregory could travel in the other, spearing her from having to listen to Gregory for whatever length of time the trip took, Grace had also taking a liking to Jenny who she found to be nothing like she'd thought a newspaper reporter would be.

The weather was fine & Grace & Jenny really enjoyed the drive which first took them along the coast for the first, couple of hours before they turned inland & entered a valley that seemed to go on for eternity,
                                  
In which they stopped & had a picnic in the mid-afternoon sunshine, upon leaving the valley the land opened out with nothing but heather to be seen for miles & miles in every diction.

Near 7pm the land changed again & they now entered a heavily wooded area & shortly after came to what looked like to Grace a military compound though there was not a soldier to be seen, as they reach the gates the cars stopped & everyone's identification papers were checked before they where permitted to enter.

Whispering  Jenny" What is this place &  why is it in such a remote parts ?
Grace" I've no idea but I wouldn't try taking any pictures & would doubt & mention of this place will every appear in your newspaper"

Inside they pulled up in front for what Grace guessed was the administration building for the facility, the drivers got out & opened the doors of the cars asking the passengers to go inside, as they entered the building the cars drove off, 

inside they at last meet the other two men that were to be accompanying them, these men introduced themselves as Tom Smith & Bob Jones & while they were friendly & accommodating enough,asking if they had a pleasant trip up from London & informing them that they would be boarding the vessel to take them on the last part of their journey in about 15 minutes after their bags & the rest of the equipment had been loaded., it was Grace's belief that there was more then meets the eye about them & while Nigel had stated that there could be no official involvement Grace would have bet her life that they were from the military     

Smith" If anyone would like a cup of tea be for we set off there's a small kitchen just down the hall with a rest room if anyone needs it just beyond it, no took up the offer of tea but they all made use of the rest room.
A phone ringing out broke the silence that had descended on the room & after answering it, Smith" Their ready for us to board now so if you ladies & gentlemen would follow me"
They exited through the back of the building & there in front of them was the strangest sight any of them had ever seen.              

                                                                          INTERMISSION

Designers note, Ok I know I say at the end of the last post that the next one would bring us to hollow earth but there really is just to much to cover as the script team try to build up Grace's travelling companions & how they get from London to inter-earth, so just think of this as an intermission & I promise to release the second half within a week so you guys won't have to wait to long.
After the last movie one of the critic's was a bit hard on the props department & rightly so but since then they've up their game & have us in good shape for going forward :) 

The 3 live pictures above, I've used without the owners consent & lay no claims to their rights.

As always my thanks for dropping in & if you'd care to be a movie critic your comment would be welcomed :)