That was enough to pique my curiosity and chase away my tiredness, for a moment or two at least.
“Might have? Where?”
“South of here, just past the southernmost point of the island.”
“And?”
“Just that. The destroyer is actively searching the area.”
“What else? You wouldn’t have come here with just that so spit it out.”
That he’d led with that news told me enough to know that whatever was coming next, I wouldn’t like.
“There have been more protests,” Samuel said in his usual soft tones. “They have been a number of arrests.”
“I thought I told you not to arrest anyone if you could avoid it. We need people on our side and they won’t be if they think we’re a police state.”
“They had weapons and attacked some of the CDF. It was only the intervention of the acolytes that brought it to a quick close.”
“How many?”
“Seven arrested and more of them disappeared into the crowds. Those we did arrest were… questioned.”
I gave Samuel my best glare and he didn’t so much as bat an eye. I knew the methods that Ryan’s people used and they weren’t any that I wanted to keep in practice. But just then, with an impending invasion by the undead, I figured it wasn’t worth pressing.
“Okay, we will discuss that at a later time…”
“Apologies, My Lady. One of those questioned spoke of a plot against you.”
“A coup?”
“No, an assassination. It would seem that there is a small group of people who believe that the former minister should be back in power and that it can only happen with your death.”
“What with me being the evil tyrant, yeah?”
“Something like that.”
“You’re safe in here, but even so I would recommend that no one approaches your quarters with their hoods on,” the admiral added. “That would solve the problem of strangers sneaking in.”
“That is an issue that will be addressed,” Samuel said a little irritably. “We were discussing it before My Lord Death was abducted.”
“Great, so more guards when I go out I take it?”
Both of the men nodded at the same time and I pressed my fingers against my temples at the growing headache I could feel was already building into a migraine.
“Anything else?”
“The broadcast has not changed and there is, so far, no reports of the undead coming ashore. The drones will be of little use now that it’s dark, however, so we will be relying on people.”
“How many people have we evacuated out to the boats?”
“Nearly twelve thousand.”
“So many?”
“The cruise ship has taken the majority and we’ve stuffed as many people on there as we can.”
“That still leaves us with around about the same amount still on the island.”
“I’m afraid so, Lily. A bigger concern is where can we put them?”
“Honestly, at this moment I am thinking that is a problem for whoever survives the next few days.” I rubbed at my temples and sucked in a deep breath. “Anything else or can I sleep?”
“Ah… one last thing, My Lady.”
“Professor Ashworth has asked for you to come and see him.”
“Ashworth? The scientist in charge of the facility?”
“Yes.”
“Did he say why?” I asked with a puzzled look.
“No, just that it was urgent.”
That time I did sigh as I realised that I wouldn’t be getting any sleep for at least a little while longer. I had no windows in the room I had taken as my own in the sports centre, but I didn’t need to look outside to know it was already dark.
“Can you arrange a vehicle? I’m not up to the walk.”
“Of course, there is a car waiting.”
“Thank you.”
I felt guilty at just the idea of using one of the few working vehicles we had but at the same time, I really didn’t feel up to the walk. I climbed off of the bed and bade Jinx stay with a tired gesture before following the two men from the room.
My bodyguards fell into step around us and I cocked an eyebrow at Samuel who studiously ignored me. I couldn’t raise the energy to have an argument however so I just accepted that my bodyguards had doubled in number.
Outside, two of the black-clad acolytes climbed into the back of the silver Renault, while Samuel took the passenger seat and the admiral, the driver’s seat. He gave a quick smile when he caught my questioning look.
“Been so long since I had the chance to drive I figured, why not.”
“Fair enough,” I said with an indulgent smile.
It was cramped in the car and none of those of us riding inside of it had had the chance to shower. Lisa, sitting on my right, wound the window down a little. I couldn’t blame her.
After a fortunately short drive, we rolled to a stop outside of the facilities main entrance. Admiral Stuart climbed out at the same time as Samuel, his hand on his holstered weapon as he scanned the area.
Two shadows detached themselves from beside the wall and pounded their fists against their chests in salute as they saw Samuel.
“Peace lies in death,” Samuel intoned.
“Peace in death,” the two men replied in unison.
“What was that all about?” I asked as they retreated once more to the shadows.
“A temporary measure, My Lady. A code phrase each day that will allow the acolytes to discern friend from disguised foe. It changes daily.”
He led the way into the building and my bodyguards stuck close to me. The others arrived just as we entered the building, having taken the shortcut across the open fields outside of the town while we had followed the road.
Irritatingly, none of them seemed to be out of breath despite what must have been a fast jog at the very least. They soon caught up with us as we navigated our way through the offices and into the back rooms.
As before, the doors could only be opened with a key card, a copy of which the Admiral carried. Once each door opened, four of my bodyguards would dart through to ensure it was safe. I felt it was a little unnecessary but I was loathe to tell them how to do their job. After all, I had twin babies to protect and not just myself.
Professor Ashworth, a man of undoubted intelligence and no little fascination with the undead, stood beside a desk that had been set up in the corridor outside the cells that contained the four Reapers.
I suppressed a small shudder at the thought of working there, day and night as those monsters stared at you. I admired his fortitude.
“Ah, hello!” he called as the door swung open.
His words set the zombies off and they chittered and moaned softly as they each turned our way, their grey skinned faces pressed up against the thick glass of their prisons. There was no suppressing my shudder that time as I felt their clouded eyes watching my every move.
“Professor,” I said by way of greeting. “You wanted to see me.”
“I did, I did.” He scribbled something down on one of the many pieces of paper that littered his desk and then turned fully towards us. “Forgive the mess but my assistants feel the need to sleep.”
“Are they back in town?”
“No, no, they are back there,” he said with a gesture to another door, one that led to the slaughter room where Shahid had been killing our people and butchering them to feed to the zombies.
“What is it you wanted?”
“I’ve discovered a few things that may be of some use to you.”
That definitely got my attention and helped chase away the fatigue, at least for a little while.
“Go on.”
“Well, they display a definite level of aggression towards each other. It’s very much like they see another zombie on their level and feel an overwhelming urge to attack.”
“That’s not really news,” I said, my momentary surge of hope dying down.
“Ah, but, if
you put two of them in the room with a single living person, they will ignore him as they do all that they can to kill one another. Then, to the victor goes the spoils.”
“How do you know this?”
“I tested the theory.” He noted my look of concern and smiled widely. “Oh, fret not, it was under tightly controlled conditions.”
“Tell us how you did it,” Admiral Stuart said sternly, his eyes narrowed and bushy brows drawing down as he glowered at the professor.
“Well,” he said, not at all put out by the admiral’s demeanour. “Two of the, ah, the Reapers, as you call them. They were taken to one of the larger spaces and chained securely to concrete pillars with just enough length to reach each other.”
“A screen was placed between them so that initially they could not detect one another’s presence. I then presented myself, ensuring I was visible to both of them but just far enough away that they couldn’t reach me.”
He paused and scratched at his nose for a moment before he grinned boyishly.
“It gave me quite a fright when they both ran straight for me. Of course, I was perfectly safe but even so.”
“Understandable,” I said as I waited for him to continue.
“Anyway, as soon as they saw one another, their interest in me ended and they turned all their attention to attempting to tear each other apart.”
He paused, looking quite pleased with himself.
“Why?” I asked. “Why would they want to do such a thing?”
I’d seen them fight for territory, both on the screens in Charlie's control centre and back in Glasgow, but that was a fight for food, more zombies to control or territory. If they were as smart as we suspected then they would realise that they needed to focus on us and not each other.
“I believe it is built into them, genetically.” He caught my blank look and elaborated a little. “I do believe that whoever created them did so with the intention of having them wipe each other out eventually. These creatures are programmed to see their own kind as either food, slaves to their will or a threat to be destroyed.”
“You’re sure of this?” Admiral Stuart asked and I looked at him to see his eyes narrow as some thought occurred to him.
“We tried it with three combinations of the Reapers we have here. As best we can tell, this is something built into them, part of their core purpose.”
It did make a kind of weird sense. If someone actually made the bloody things then it would stand to reason that they wouldn’t want them out there as a major threat to themselves. The best way to ensure they would wipe themselves out would be to hardwire it into them.
“So,” Admiral Stuart said slowly. “If we could locate the Reaper driving the horde towards us…”
“We could release one of the others,” I said, eyes widening. “If nothing else it would distract it which would mean the horde would be a mindless group again instead of an organised attack.”
“Exactly!” the professor said with a great deal of glee.
“More to the point, we could release one and have it take control of part of the horde and turn it against the other if we time it right,” Admiral Stuart said.
“Get one ready to move,” I instructed them. “Then we need to head to the control centre. As soon as those undead make landfall I want us to have one of these Reapers ready. If they can take control of those that land before the other Reaper reaches the shore, they will tear each other apart and decimate their own numbers.”
I pressed my hand to my stomach once more as the three men burst into action, talking all at once as they discussed strategies. I barely listened, more than willing to let them come up with the finer points to the plan.
It didn’t matter. Because I knew it would work and once again, I had the hope that we would actually survive.
Chapter 19
An hour after my talk with Isaac an alarm sounded and he left me alone in my small cell. Since there was nothing I could do, no matter the cause of the alarm, I moved across to the thin mattress that was my bed and laid myself carefully down.
My entire body ached and despite the doctor’s treatment, I was in poor shape. Half-starved and badly dehydrated, the small meal the old man had provided had barely quenched my appetite and had done little to ease the pain I was feeling.
Despite my show of confidence to Isaac, I wasn’t actually sure how much use I would be at the task he had set me. Over the past year, I had become used to taking a firm hold of my knife and wading into the midst of my enemies quite brazenly, trusting on my skills and strength to get me through.
Weakened as I was and in a great deal of pain, my limbs shaking and every movement one of pain and misery, I wasn’t entirely sure that I would survive if I used that same tactic. I would need to use stealth and guile, two things I thought I had. The information they had about me though indicated that I had not been as talented at hiding my activities as I had thought.
While a bit of a blow to the ego, it was more of a concern that I had a blind spot when it came to gauging my abilities. Confidence was one thing and I had that in abundance, but I couldn’t help wonder if I was a little too confident.
I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath of air before violently expelling it. Introspection was all well and good but there was a time and a place for it and in that particular predicament I had found myself in, I definitely needed to be confident that I could get myself out of it.
Time then to stop wondering about past failures and instead I would work the problem. Weakened as I was, I couldn’t go toe to toe with any of the mercenaries. I would have to rely on those ‘friends’ of Isaac up until I had the access card from the tech. After that, I would be on my own.
A quick look at my prison garb was enough to know that I would be noticed immediately which meant that I needed a disguise. I hoped the tech was my size as that would make sense. I couldn’t do anything about the rough beard that covered my face but I could at least find some way to clean myself up so that I didn’t look like I hadn’t bathed in a week.
Perhaps too, I would need to forsake my usual preference for the knife and use one of their handguns. A distasteful thought, admittedly, but one that I might have to endure.
The door was practically thrown open and an irate Isaac stormed through. Dawn was behind him, as hard faced as ever, an assault rifle cradled in her arms and smudges of what I could only assume was camouflage paint on her face. The netting that she wore had bits of grass and branches caught in it.
“You could have knocked,” I said with a grin that was designed to infuriate.
Large hands grabbed my shoulders and before I knew it, I was lifted from the bed and thrown across the cell to hit the far wall with a heavy thud. Perhaps, I thought a little groggily, my grin worked a little too well.
“Hello to you too,” I muttered as I spat blood onto the floor and pushed myself up.
“That will be all,” the old man said, entering the room and holding up a hand to forestall more violence from the large mercenary.
Elspeth hovered protectively near the old man and glared daggers at me. Apparently, I had done something to upset them all but I couldn’t fathom what that might have been.
“Any particular reason for the tantrum?” I asked, flashing a bloody grin at the old man. “Of just passing the time amusing yourselves?”
“It would seem that there has been a breach in our perimeter,” the old man said, his voice tightly controlled but seething with anger. “Not once, but twice.”
“Hardly my doing,” I replied, pushing myself to my feet. “I’ve been stuck in here.”
“The first,” he snapped, ignoring my reply. “Was a class three specimen, somewhat damaged but still capable of killing two of our personnel.”
The Reaper! I thought and almost burst into laughter then and there. It had followed us all the way from Oban after all.
“The second?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.
“Some… friends… of yours,
judging by their garb and the hoods they wear.”
I didn’t stop myself from smiling then. Lily had sent them, I was sure of that. She’d figured out that I’d been abducted and sent them to search for me. How they’d found me I had no idea but they had and the made things a great deal more interesting.
“Take him,” the old man snapped and I gawped at Isaac as he stomped across the room towards me, gripping my arm tightly in his oversized hand.
He was angry and I wasn’t sure why, until the old man spoke again anyway.
“Their arrival has necessitated moving up our schedule. You will be taken to the infirmary where you will be fitted with a device that shall ensure your compliance. Once that is assured, you will go out there and call in your people.”
Ah, that’s why Isaac was so pissed. His plan was in disarray and he had no way of ensuring his people were in place. He likely saw me as a threat to him then since as soon as I had the device fitted I could no longer help him and I could gain much by telling the old man about his plot.
I fully expected an accident to befall me before then.
“Move,” Isaac snapped and gave me a less than gentle shove towards the door.
Fair enough, I reasoned, he was upset that his plan had gone to hell but if he didn’t show me a little more civility then I would have no qualms about killing him. Still, I did as instructed and set off walking.
Along the bare stone corridors with blank doors of heavy steel set into them along the length. I hadn’t been to the infirmary before, the doctor coming to tend my injuries in my cell, so I had no idea where it was.
Not that that was a problem, however since whenever we came to a junction in the maze of corridors, Isaac would steer me ungently down the correct corridor. Dawn kept close behind, her rifle held at the ready.
Behind us, the pink haired girl escorted the old man. I still had yet to learn his name and since I was going to kill him, I felt it would be right that I know it. I did so enjoy it more when I had a name to put to their face.
There were plenty of people in the same fatigues that the mercenaries wore and a number of men and women in coloured coveralls. No doubt there was a reason for the colours, likely denoting a role and perhaps an easy way to see when they were in a restricted area.
Killing the Dead Season 3 Box Set | Books 13-18 Page 30