//------------------------------//
// Interlude I 
// Story: Malta Mayday 
// by WainbowHedgie 
//------------------------------//

Audio log
Date: 9th October 1969
Location: RAF Binbrook
Last review date: 23rd April 2042

"What do you mean gone? An aircraft simply does not disappear in the blink of an eye."

"I'm sorry sir, but there is no sign of James, nor his aircraft. According to the few that saw his last position, there was a bright flash and he was gone."

"Well here is your new task then. Perform surveillance of the area and find anything related to the incident, I was to know what happened to that poor boy."

"On it sir."

"Sergeant, patch me through on priority lines to MI5, we have to give them the report."

"You're patched through now sir."

"Squadron Leader Burnham, there is no need to give a verbal recount, we have heard enough. Send the report and we shall take over investigations from here."

LINE CUT

END RECORDING

New review date added: 1st May 2042

I close the audio log once again. I've listened to this recording over and over again, reviewed the transmission logs during the incident with all gathered evidence but the whole thing still doesn't make sense.

"Face it Harry, you'll never find your great uncle. Even if he lived, however unlikely it is, he would have died years ago. They gave up in the end because there was so little to work with and given the climate, it was a lost cause after a few months."

"Just because they couldn't do it, doesn't mean we can't find out anything or even find his body."

I turn to a knock at the front door. With a sigh, I grab the key and unlock the door to see a government official holding a briefcase.

"Are you Harry Burkley?"

"Yes sir, I am."

"May I come in and have a chat with you?"

"Sure."

He enters, closing the door behind him, taking a seat next to the table in the corner of my flat. Pulling out a card, he passes it to me over the table. Agent Randall  MI5. I look up at him slowly nodding at me.

"I've come for a visit due to a breakthrough in an ongoing investigation related to a family member of yours Mr Burkley. A certain James Burkley who went missing back in 1969. Upon your request to review the case to find some closure as to what happened, we decided to re-open the case fully for an investigation into what truly happened that day. Believe me, this was no small task, all that paper and those damned tapes."

"Why? I wasn't informed of anything, I thought I was ignored."

"You were for some time, until a select few noticed a correlation between what happened to James and other strange observations in the area as a whole. Having this brought up to the head of Mi5, or what's left of us anyway, it was ultimately decided to investigate with our new capabilities using technology that simply never existed even as a thought to MI5 back in the late 60s. You may or may not know, but air traffic has been barred from entering that specific airspace since the incident occurred in 1969. The region seemed to have an effect on aircraft systems that had gotten too close to a central point, resulting in the airspace being deemed unsafe upon the end of the investigation for reasons unknown. It is my understanding you have a copy of this original investigation? It is all public access now if people wished to look."

"I do sir. I can't make heads or tails of it though from the lack of information."

"That would be why the case closed in the first place, Mr Burkley. While there has been some background research into the airspace over time, very little has really been found out due to the reserved nature of these investigations. With some small risk, we have found out that the area around the centre heavily irradiates the surroundings with an unknown energy. This energy seems to break up matter into its basic atoms and send it somewhere at very high speeds."

"So my great uncle could have been alive somewhere?"

"Potentially. This is only a very recent discovery and there is still plenty more to research. Now comes the important bit between us and your flatmate here. The two of you as of right now have been offered a job assisting research into this phenomenon due to the familial ties and complete unknowns we are dealing with here, for all we know, your great uncle could still be alive out there due to a whole assortment of reasons. You will simply be required to assist as interns, crunching numbers and supporting the researchers with some training. I need an answer now ideally so we can transport you two to some new accomodations in Cyprus on camp."

I look at Oscar, nodding.

"We accept."