I put a hand on her head, the sun warming my back and I look out over London, a city that now looks so unfamiliar to me.
Chapter 16
Emily relaxes her grip on me and looks up; her eyes are red, her face is dusty, and her hair is now a tangled mess, but she smiles.
“Are the helicopters still coming to get us, Dad?”
I look at my watch: 17:49 hours. I turn and look towards Heathrow Airport where I assume the helicopters are flying from. The smoke in that direction isn’t as heavy as over central London. It is affecting the view, however and together with the sun in my eyes as it starts its slow dip towards the horizon, I can’t make out if any of the air traffic in visual range is coming in our direction.
“That’s what they said, sweetie. They should be here in about ten minutes.”
I’m just praying that Colonel Reed is sticking to the agreement or we could be in really serious trouble up here. Banging is already resonating from the steel rooftop door, and we haven’t got anywhere else to escape to if the Rabids breakthrough, either through that door or the barricaded one below.
Stacey sits looking forlorn with the others, all apart from Dan who stands keeping a close eye on the rooftop door, his M4 at the ready. We walk over to the others and Emily sits next to Stacey. Giving Catherine a look to get up and come with me, I go over to Dan and she joins us.
“When we can see the transport approaching, I will talk to Emily. They are probably going to take you to a holding area and put you all into quarantine until they are sure you aren’t infected, which is fair enough. When you leave, find out where that is and radio me the location so I know where to find you? It may be at Heathrow, but I don’t know for sure,” I tell them both.
Catherine looks hard at me. “I wish you would reconsider, Andy.”
“I have done, but I came to the same decision. I’ve got to try and find Josh. I’m sorry.”
She puts her hand on my upper arm. “I will look after Emily.”
“Thank you, and please watch Stacey, she isn’t looking good.”
“I will,” Catherine smiles.
“Dan, don’t wait ten minutes until you come back for the crew. Come as soon as you see me take off, in case the infected manage to get up here. I don’t want to put the crew at risk, okay?”
“Yes, Boss.”
Catherine and I then rejoin the others.
Firstly, I open the holdall Stan salvaged and load up with the remaining ammo and grenades. Then finally, I sit down to take some precious time with Emily. All too quickly, however, in the distance, there are two small objects approaching our position.
Lifting my binoculars and putting them to my face, I see two helicopters approaching and they definitely look like Lynx. It’s time.
“Here come the helicopters.”
Everyone gets up apart from Emily and me. She is waiting for me to stand but instead, I start talking to her. Stacey stands over us, listening.
“Listen, sweetie, you are going to go with Stacey and Catherine, and I am going to get on the other helicopter and meet you there.”
“No, Daddy. I want to come with you,” she says, her eyes filling with tears already.
“I can’t be with you, my love, I’m going in the other helicopter. I’m going to try to find Josh and bring him back with me. I will be as quick as I can and then I’ll meet up with you.”
“Then I will come with you to get Josh too.” Tears are now rolling down her face.
“You can’t, you need to go with the others, so you are safe. I will meet you there, I promise.”
Emily is now sobbing. I pick her up, and she puts her arms around my neck tightly. Stacey is also upset next to us and I put an arm around her.
“I want to come with you, Dad,” she sobs.
“I know you do, but can you be brave for me again so I can go and find your brother?”
Emily doesn’t reply. She has stopped talking and is only crying, deeply into my neck, I feel like crying myself but hold that feeling down.
The two Lynx can be seen clearly now through the smoke haze as they approach us.
“Stacey.” She looks at me. “Should you talk to your mum and dad, phone me or get Dan to radio me. Tell them I will try to get to them from their building, they will have to get to the roof, but only if they can do so safely. Tell them I’ll be in a helicopter and will fly around the building twice so they know it’s me, understand?”
“Yes, Andy, I understand.” A glimmer of hope can be seen in her face.
The two Lynx helicopters swoop in and circle the building, looking for any possible threats and a place to land. The downdraft from the rotors blows against us all, blowing Emily’s hair as the loud noise from the engines accosts our ears.
The roof of the Orion Building has a helipad situated at the right-angled corner of the building, a slightly raised steel platform with a small set of stairs leading up the landing area.
“Is everyone ready?” I shout above the noise.
They are. Stan has the computer in his arms, so we move towards the helipad.
The first Lynx starts its approach, hovering out from the side of the building, moving in closer and closer until it is directly over the big H in the middle of the pad. The force of the downdraft is now severe, trying to blow us back and the sound is overpowering. The Lynx descends and comes to rest in the middle of the helipad.
Dan leads the way up the stairs and onto the pad, and the rest of us follow him up, all ducking slightly as we move forward, my hand holding the back of Emily’s head. The door of the Lynx slides open, revealing a helmeted pilot who waves, beckoning us in. Dan reaches the door first, then he moves to the side and helps Lindsay up into the hold. Stan is next with the computer, followed by Stacey. Before Catherine gets in, she turns to me and kisses my cheek.
“Good luck,” I just about hear her say into my ear.
Emily’s grip around my neck tightens as I go to lift her in. Catherine tries to take her off me, but she won’t release my neck. As upsetting as it is, I have to reach up and force her arms apart, prising her off me. She cries out, “Dad!” with her face full of tears.
All I can do is lean in and kiss her, telling her I love her before I lift her into the hold to Catherine who takes her from me.
I can feel tears welling up in my eyes, forcing their way out as I move back from the Lynx and watch Dan climb in. He is shouting something to me, but I don't register it. He turns, sliding the door shut behind him and then I'm alone. The Lynx starts to power its rotors and I am forced to retreat to the edge of the helipad by the force of the downdraft.
My mind races and my body trembles, a feeling of sickness gripping my stomach as I stand on top of the building trying to come to terms with the task ahead. The feeling of being alone sinks still deeper. I’m almost overpowered by it as I watch the Lynx with Emily and the others about to leave.
The Lynx starts to lift off from the pad, the buffeting increasing massively, and I steady myself against the stair railing. About a meter up, the helicopter comes to an unexpected stop, just hovering. Is there a problem? A minute passes, then suddenly the door slides open again, and Dan jumps out, down onto the pad. I move back in to see what is wrong but as I do, the Lynx's door quickly rolls shut, it ascends, tilts and flies off.
“Sorry, Boss, but I’m coming with you,” he says as he comes over to me. “You’ll have to court martial me later.”
“Dan, you…” then nothing. I just go and man-hug him tightly. My eyes are welling up again. “Sorry, mate, I’m feeling a bit emotional,” I say as we move back off the pad.
We go back to the steps to give the second Lynx plenty of room to land. The first with Emily on board looks like it is heading back towards Heathrow and is already some distance away.
The next Lynx starts to make its approach, hovers in and touches down with ease, and the engines keep going which is good. I thought the pilot may have powered down, as we are supposed to be freeing the safe. Another bonus
is that there is only the pilot aboard, which should make hijacking the Lynx easier. They must be short on crew; this was only meant to be a straightforward fetch-and-carry flight.
Dan and I run back onto the pad as the pilot slides open the hold door.
“Alright, mate,” I shout to the pilot as we reach him. He has his pilot’s helmet on but that doesn’t hide how young he is. Fuck, they must be short on pilots as well.
The pilot jumps down from the hold onto the pad to greet us. This is going to be easier than I thought; the Lynx is now empty and with the engine running. I reach out with my hand as if to shake his, but as he reaches out, I grab his wrist and pull his arm around and up his back. Dan moves also and takes the pilot’s sidearm from its holster.
“What are you doing!” the young pilot screams. “What the hell is going on? I’m here to get you?” he shouts over the din of the engine.
“I’m really sorry about this, mate, but we need your helicopter. The other one will come back and pick you up so you will be fine,” I shout back.
“You’re taking it—why? You can’t, they will have my guts for garters,” the poor lad continues to protest.
“I really am sorry, pal, but there is no other option.”
We escort the pilot to the steps and tell him to stay put until we have gone. If he doesn’t, we will tie him up, I tell him. As we move away, he seems to be obeying which is his best option, he really doesn’t want to be tied up in this situation, with Rabids close by.
I climb into the hold of the Lynx and locate the pilot’s rifle, his standard issue SA80. Then jumping back down onto the pad, I hold up his rifle for him to see. I then eject its magazine and place both onto the helipad, Dan does the same with his sidearm.
As I settle into the pilot’s seat, Dan gets in beside me, and we both grab our headphones from above and put them on. The pilot is doing as he was told and staying put. He actually looks frightened to death. I owe him a drink, an explanation and another apology if I ever get to see him again.
“Get the other pilot on the radio and tell him to turn around now. I don’t want that kid there any longer than necessary,” I say to Dan and he reaches for the radio panel.
The Lynx helicopter has been in service since the late seventies. It is an agile and versatile piece of engineering that with constant updating, has stood the test of time. The fact remains, however, that it has been many, many years since I was trained in one and a good six or seven years, if not more, since I last flew any helicopter at all. So, I take a minute to re-familiarise myself with the controls and layout.
Feeling fairly happy, I take the stick, pulling back on it steadily and easing the Lynx up off the pad and into the air. It’s just like riding a bike, sort of. Easing us up farther, I move out from the Orion Building, rising all the time and turning the Lynx so that we’re facing in the direction of the path the first Lynx took.
Dan has contacted the other pilot and after some deep discussions and arguments, the pilot has relented and is turning around to pick up his comrade.
“Dan, use the bins to see if you can confirm they have turned around? We can’t leave him swinging in the wind down there?” I hand over the binoculars.
A few minutes pass with Dan scanning the sky in front of us with the binoculars, but he hasn’t seen them.
“Surely, they aren’t going to leave him down there? Get them back on the radio.” I say.
“Hold on, Boss. I can see something. Let it get a bit closer.”
Letting Dan concentrate, l stay quiet. The pilot below us has retrieved his weapons and to his credit has taken up a defensive position on top of the helipad by the steps. His aim is mainly directed at the steel doors of the roof entrance. The Rabids behind that door must be going crazy, what with the noise of two helicopters landing and taking off. Even from this distance, the doors look like they are rattling in their frames. I'm standing by to land again fast and pick the kid up if the doors give.
“Yep, that’s them, they are heading straight for the building. They can’t be more than a couple of minutes out,” Dan confirms.
“Are you absolutely sure?” I ask and can now see a Lynx approaching in the distance myself.
“Hold…Yes, it’s them, confirmed. Stan is in the co-pilot’s seat.”
That’s good enough for me. I tilt the Lynx forward and take her around to the left, doing a semicircle around the Orion Building before straightening up, heading toward Hyde Park and the city beyond.
As we fly out over the city, I keep it steady so we can take in our surroundings, trying to get a feeling for the situation on the ground, a sort of reconnaissance so we know what to expect if we have to land. We follow the Edgware Road down towards Marble Arch. Dan and I sit in stunned silence.
The whole area looks like some kind of sick war zone, buildings on fire left and right, flames and smoke billowing up from them. The road and surrounding streets are littered with cars facing in every direction, smashed into each other, smashed into buildings, many of them blown up by rocket fire and burning, giving off a black smoke. This adds to the thick smoke haze that we are flying through and it coats the backs of our throats and lungs, leaving a bitter taste in our mouths as it seeps into the cockpit.
Rabids are virtually everywhere, some wandering aimlessly around like hopeless drunks, bumping into the closest thing to them and into one another. But others, others look like they are hunting, moving at speed through the abandoned cars, jumping on top of cars occasionally and searching for something, their heads darting from side to side, looking for their next kill, their next meal of human flesh. Bodies lie dead on the roadside and pavements, all with horrific injuries—but there aren’t as many bodies as we might expect. These things don’t die easily, I remind myself.
The whole sight is chilling and like nothing Dan or I have ever seen in any of the many war zones we have fought in. We are both lost for words as we float above it all, along the road.
My mind gathers itself together. "Can you check that the other helicopter is heading out of here now, mate?”
“I was just about to do that. I got lost trying to take in the nightmare down there, sorry,” Dan apologises.
“Same here, there is no need to apologise.”
Dan gets busy on the radio as Marble Arch passes underneath us, while in front and to the right, Mayfair is engulfed in fire, flames leaping from the tops of the buildings. Some of the most expensive property in the world still burns the same as everyone else’s.
The Lynx climbs, taking us out of the thickest smoke, bringing Buckingham Palace into view farther away to our right, with the London Eye looking over North London farther away still, on the South Bank of the River Thames. There doesn’t seem to be any smoke coming from the Palace; it looks untouched from here, maybe its high walls and gates keeping it safe. Or maybe there just isn’t anything of interest there for the Rabids?
Farther away but still visible, Westminster isn’t faring so well. There is plenty of smoke coming from it, especially from the Houses of Parliament which have plumes rising from the building’s long body. Judging by what I can see, the seat of the British Government is going to be staying in Birmingham for the foreseeable future.
Dan’s conversation with the other pilot is playing out in my ears through my headphones as I fly.
“Yes, he is on board and we are heading back now. Shaken but okay, over,” the pilot explains to Dan.
“Received, tell him we are sorry again, but someone will explain to him, over.”
“They are now, the little girl is telling him about her brother as we speak, over.”
Both Dan and I smile; that is a good sign.
“What’s your name, pilot, over?” I ask.
“John, over.”
“John, my name’s Andy and that’s my little girl, so get her back safe for me, please. I would be grateful, over.”
“She will get to Heathrow safe and sound, Andy, over.”
“Thanks a lot, mate. Do you kn
ow where they will be taking them?”
“I can't say for sure, but I think there’s an onsite facility at Heathrow for people taken out of the infected area, over?" the pilot guesses.
"Thanks, John, over."
"We have the computer but no safe. The brass are going to be asking questions, not least about a missing helicopter, over,” the pilot says.
“We couldn’t get the safe in time. If the computer doesn’t have the files they want on it, we will see if we can get it on the way back. Things were getting bad when we left the building. Hostiles were about to break through to our position. I’ll also do my best to get the helicopter back without a scratch, over,” I tell him.
“I’m not sure that will wash with them, but I’ll tell them, over.”
“Tell Colonel Reed I’ll make good on our agreement, over.”
“Copy that. Over and out.”
And the pilot is gone.
Mayfair is behind us as is Soho, which was just as bad as Mayfair, the carnage seeming endless and unstoppable. Rabids are roaming freely throughout, but more heartbreaking is the people we see stranded in the middle of this hell. All of those we have seen are seeking shelter on building rooftops, some of the buildings with just one or two people on, some a few more. But the larger buildings can have numerous people hiding out their rooves, the only places these poor people have left to escape to.
The buildings are tiny islands in a sea of horror, but some of these islands are burning beneath the feet of the people taking refuge on them. As we fly near, we see the people waving, beckoning for us to save them. We see their silent screams for help; women, children, old people. It is horrific, it sickens us both to the bottom of our stomachs.
Our brains work, trying to think of ways we can save, if not all, then at least some of them. Dan and I talk, telling each other there’s nothing we can do for them, that it is impossible for us to help them, which it is. There isn’t any conceivable way for us to save these people from their fate.
Capital Falling Trilogy Box Set [Books 1-3] Page 16