The Tally Ho

           The Schizoid Man                    

              by our reporter

  Prior to the freedom of information act 2000, the vast majority of information regarding The Village and its internal activities has been tightly restricted and controlled. In fact any such requested information within official circles has to be written in triplicate, and signed by at least four high-ranking Civil Servants, and then countersigned by the head of department! However since it is almost 50 years since the Prisoner’s abduction to The Village, I am at liberty to disclose certain information relating to the curious events of ‘The Schizoid Man.’
     A doppelganger for Number 6 had been brought to The Village in order to impersonate him. Number 6 one night, had been abducted from his home, to wake up in a strange apartment, after first having been conditioned to being Number 12. This took place over a period of at least six weeks, and during that time his doppelganger was going about The Village impersonating Number 6. This was all to do with the act of taking away Number 6’s identity, in order to break him. However Number 2 had not counted on events being revealed to Number 6 in a mirror, and a short circuiting table lamp!      Having regained his right-handedness, and identity, Number 6 set off to confront his doppelganger in his cottage. In having overpowered the man Curtis, and gaining the password and the false mole, Curtis broke free and went running outside chased by Number 6 only to encounter The Village Guardian. Both men gave the password schizoid man. But Curtis began to back away repeating the password, then he ran, upon which the Guardian was on him in a moment suffocating the man to death. Number 6 then saw his chance, by reporting himself as being dead Number 6 intended to escape The Village in the guise of Curtis!
    "Number 6 is dead, Rover got him!"
    "What!" barks Number 2 "Control Room deactivate Rover immediately."
    Then Number 6 reports to Number 2 in the Green Dome, but as Curtis.
    “We’re still trying to find out why Rover killed Number Six.”
    “There’s going to be hell to pay.”
    “Not if we’re clever.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Who’s to say Number Six died?”
    “I should think everybody knows by this time.”
    “Only you, me, the Supervisor, and two medics. We have one chance to rectify the situation.”
    “How are you going to do that?”
    “I’m not, you are! You will remain here in The Village, and continue your impersonation of Number six, but permanently!”
    “We’d never get away with it!”                     
   Number 2 sent Curtis to see the girl Alison because they thought she might have had some insight into Number 6s motivations. However seeing as she had nothing more to tell him he left, and upon returning to ’6 Private’ he changed into civilian clothes in readiness to leave The Village.
    But alas the escape plan of Number 6s was too spontaneous, off the cuff, and doomed to failure. He had seen a photograph of Susan in Curtis’ wallet, but that turned out to be his Achilles heel in the plan. He didn’t know what proposition Number 2 had put to Curtis when he arrived in The Village. If there had been one! Neither did Number 6 know about reporting to the General. It would seem Number 6 didn’t know enough, and had said too much. This aroused Number 2’s suspicions, stemming from a doubt he had back in his office. When Number 6 finally climbed into the helicopter, Number 2 told him not to forget to give Susan his regards. “I won’t.” This confirmed that Number 6 wasn’t the man he thought he was. Because Susan had died a year before!    

    In a file marked “Eyes Only” it is documented that it was in fact Number 6 who had been suffocated by Rover. That it was Curtis who took the place of Number 6, because the idea of Number 2’s was to have Curtis remain in The Village and be forced to continue his role as Number 6!    So Curtis, masquerading as Number 6 put his plan into action. He declared Number 6 as being dead, then went to see Number 2 in his office. Curtis was clever enough to realise that he must forget all Curtis knew, about himself, Number 2’s proposition, and the General. In fact he must behave exactly as Number 6 would have done, to bluff his way out of The Village. He even managed to convince Alison of his identity. He then returned to 6 private in order to pack his suitcase in readiness to leave. Dressed in his own blue suit, he checked his wallet before placing it in an inside pocket of his jacket, and saw the picture of his late wife Susan. So we have reached the point where Curtis is continuing his role as Number 6, whilst  masquerading as himself, while pretending to be Number 6! However there was a flaw in the plan. Curtis played his role as Number 6 too well, behaving just as Number 6 would have done, even to the point of not knowing about Susan. So Curtis sealed his own fate. Forced then to continue in the role of Number 6!

Be seeing you