The Think Tank

The Think Tank is the fifteenth chapter in the Wombles Five.

Mrs Peel’s eyes lit up suddenly.  “I can squash Meowyblack!” she said.  Just then Meowyblack came along.  Mrs Peel stamped on him, then Meowyskin came along.  “You did not know that I was working for Meowyblack, did you?” she said. Meowykins put a silver bell on Meowyskin’s collar.  Suddenly Meowyskin jumped and said.  “My heart is almost as white as snow!” and decided to be good.  Then they all came out to hole and Mrs Peel looked worried. “No, not again, please! Electricity and water really don’t mix!”

The others were still waiting in the boat, when suddenly they heard a crackling sound.  It got louder and louder and louder until the electricity was impossible not to see and it set the boat a light.  They all leapt into the ocean, frightened.

Some time later, they all woke up in hospital.  “What happened to Meowykins?” asked Cathy.  “If you mean one of the blue cats, they’re at the vets.” Replied the nurse. “Drink this.”  She gave Cathy a bottle of pink serum.  Cathy started floating and hit her head on the ceiling. Then the nurse gave some to everyone else and the same thing happened.

Suddenly the door burst down and B A came in.  “You fool! Everyone’s gonna hit their head if you give them that serum!”  And he knocked out all the nurses and doctors.  “You saved our lives!  We are eternally gratefu…” began Mrs Peel, but Cathy interrupted.  “He is a wanted criminal!”  Mrs Peel replied, “But he can’t really be, he did help to save our life twice.”  Cathy sighed. “I suppose so.”

Suddenly they all fell down. The pink serum had worn off.  So had the purple serum on Thomas and Lucy.

“You still haven’t caught Mr Teddy bear!  Therefore you have a problem and no-one else can help!” said B A.  Hannibal came in and said, “You just hired the A-Team.”

Steed had taken Lara, Tara and Mywordismy to the Think Tank.  Lara woke up.  “Where the heck am I?” she asked Steed from inside the glass tank.  “You are in the Think Tank to answer some questions” replied Steed.  He didn’t tell her it was in New Steed Manor.  Now Tara woke up and Mywordismy not long after.  Tara was a bit dazed and thought Mywordismy was quite good looking. “Hi there!  I’m Tara.  Dinner at eight?” she said looking into his eyes.

“Bond, Mywordismy Bond! I’d love to but I am a bit tied up right now” replied Mywordismy.  He was. They were all tied up, hanging upside down wearing cast iron helmets that were chained to their heads.  Steed turned a tap and water started to gush into the tank.

“Now if you wouldn’t mind telling me where your leader is and what he is planning” said Steed. “Why should we do that?” asked Lara. “Because you will all drown otherwise” replied Steed.  “I don’t have a leader but I do have a brother” said Mywordismy.  “Who?” asked Steed.  “Bond” replied Mywordismy.  “That’s you!” said Steed.  “James Bond”. “You are not James Bond!” said Steed turning the water up.  “My name is Bond, Mywordismy Bond.  My brother is Bond, James Bond” replied a panicking Mywordismy.  “Tara, I know you know what I want to know” said Steed.  “I know you know that I know what you want to know but you will never know!” replied Tara.

“I know that it is a matter of time before I know what you think I’ll never know because you know that I know that you know what it is I need to know!” replied Steed.  The water was up to the prisoners nostrils now.  It kept rising.  Mywordismy and Lara passed out but Tara was still defiant.  Steed turned it up.  It gushed In raising the water level to just before Tara’s immortality device.

“Turn it off!  I’ll talk!” she screamed.  “Talk” said Steed.  “Mr Teddy Bear!  He filled the shops with bombs.”  “Bombs! What do they look like?” demanded Steed. “Well soft toys obviously!” snapped Tara.  “Don’t you snap at me!” shouted Steed.  He turned on the tap to full and filled the tank.  Tara sizzled and screamed then her eyes went blank and expressionless.  She was dead.  Steed drained the tank.  They were all dead.

Quickly he called Cathy. She answered straight away.  “All the shops?” she asked.  “Yes all of them in London” replied Steed.  “That’s enough explosives to destroy the city!” said Cathy. “Only one thing to do” said Steed. “What?” asked Cathy.  “Go wild in the aisles!” said Steed.  “That’s right!” said Mr Chips appearing at New Steed Manor with Bungo.

“Bungo!  When the going gets tough” said Steed.  “The tough go shopping!” replied Bungo.  Steed roared off in his supercharged Jaguar. Bungo roared off on the Bungomobile. Mr Chips did something weird.

In Oxford Street Steed met the A Team.  “Did I hire you?” he asked.  “You fool! You can’t stop all the bombs by yourself!” said B A.  Steed knew he was right but suddenly remembered Thomas and Lucy.  “You fool!” shouted B A.  “Those itty bitty babies are in bed at home with their teddy bears!” “Teddy bears!” said Steed speeding back home.