More than a Number

by Tanya Allan

It was just another late shift for PC Andy Smith. He responded to a weird call from a truck driver on the AI not far from Morpeth. Apparently, a naked young woman stood in the centre of the carriageway and successfully blocked the road for several moments. Naked and shoeless she was – hairless and spattered with mud up her bare legs – according to the witness. She stood in the glare of his headlights and seemed transfixed for several moments. The next moment, she was gone – so fast that he didn’t even see which way she went. Believing her possibly to be a psychiatric patient from a local hospital, Andy initiated a local area search. Several miles to the south, some very worried people were panicking. They had to call a number in Surrey… “What is it, dear?” his wife asked, having now woken up as well. “Problem at work. I have to make a call from the study,” he said, slipping his dressing gown and slippers on and heading downstairs to his opulent study. Moments later, he dialled a number on an unregistered cell phone. “It’s me. The unspeakable has happened,” he said. He listened for a moment and then grunted. “I have a good man on it. His team will ensure a tidy completion, but this sets us back a bit.” He then listened some more. “The other asset is not yet ready. We will accelerate the programme and I’ll let you know. Just get the police off our backs.” The person on the other end said something and then terminated the call. “Bugger it!” Robert said and banged the desk with his fist. He then punched in another number on his phone. “Maurice, it’s me,” he said, “if you can’t recover, then terminate expeditiously. Don’t leave a trace for anyone to find!” Then he switched off the phone and went back up to bed. They gave her a number instead of a name. They kept her naked and in the dark. They never taught her to speak. They trained her far better than even they anticipated. ….and now she was free and wanted pay-back!

268 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 12, 2020

About the author

Tanya Allan is a prolific writer of various works, including novels, short stories and poetry. Some of her work, relating to transgender issues, may be familiar to those who feel that perhaps life would have been easier had they been born with a body and mind of the same gender. She is in the process of publishing all other work under the same name.

Tanya is now settled in the southern half of the United Kingdom (sometimes known as England). Born and educated in Scotland, and having experienced well over a half-century of life, in a myriad of guises, mostly involved keeping the realm safe and secure from enemies, both domestic and foreign, Tanya has a more sedate life now, concentrating on grandchildren, dogs, travel and writing.

Reviews

[Harold Hastings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tanya just can't write bad book, it's not in her Genes. I've enjoyed 75 of them so far and this one was great. And she wound a "primer in blood types" into the story as a bargain. If you are just now discovering her writings you have a lot of enjoyment ahead, for those others we're just anxiously waiting for the next one.

[Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!

[Alan Clements · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic action packed story about genetic research that is light on the science and more about human interaction.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

I have enjoyed this great story of Jane and her escaping then meeting pc Smith then helping the other that were locked up.

[Joseph Jeske · Rating 5 out of 5]

What A Ride!

A well plotted, tautly written thriller. I will be reading many more Tanya Allen novels. You have to suspend disbelief a bit, but hey that’s what books are for, right?

[Charles R Schiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! The plotting was great, and, took some unexpected turns! Great characters and I loved the way the main character--the woman without a name--evolved and became a real person with an interesting personality and sense of humor.