London hasn’t got weeks, never mind years or decades. Millions of people are still trapped inside the original quarantine zone and now South London is in a similar mess. The infection could escape from that zone at any time or mutate and become airborne or, God forbid, mutate and become impossible to cure. Captain Andy Richards is the only prospect of saving all those people and stopping the virus from spreading outside of London. Should that mean he must be sacrificed, then so be it. Young soldiers are being transported into London on a daily basis; they are no more than sacrifices to try and stem the spread of the virus in the short term. This virus must be halted now, before London is completely lost and the whole country follows or the whole world and humanity itself succumb.
Rees looks over his shoulder at Winters. He had better get on board, he thinks. If he thought that we were just here to take a couple of vials of blood from the Captain, then the Lieutenant is not as clever as he likes to think he is, not by half.
Winters sees Major Rees eyeing him and decides to make sure that he is stood next to the Major when they all step into an oversized hospital lift.
“Have you visited Plymouth before, Sir?” Winters asks the Major, to make conversation.
“No, not Plymouth specifically, but I have holidayed in Devon. Have you?”
“No, I think I’ve only been to Devon once. On a training exercise, on Dartmoor.”
“Yes, I’ve been involved in at least one of those on Dartmoor. Beautiful up there, isn’t it?” Rees replies.
“Yes Sir, it is, beautiful and wild,” Winters agrees, pleased that he has at least taken the edge off any tension between the two men.
Four floors up, they are led down another long corridor and it is obvious that this section of the hospital is closely attached to the military. A good proportion of the staff on the floor, some dressed in medical gear, quickly move out of the Major’s way, standing to attention as he passes.
The doctor leading them stops at a set of double doors to press her security pass against a sensor. Above the doors is a sign that simply says, ‘Ward X’, which Winters finds slightly ominous as the door swings open.
“Leave the doors open,” Major Rees instructs the doctor, who complies without question. Obviously, Rees intends to make Andy’s entry as normal as possible, making it easier to catch him in his lair.
Directly inside the ward is a deserted waiting area with seats and a reception desk. Major Rees stops just inside to inspect the area where his visitor will arrive, his head turning this way and that.
“Does anybody man the reception desk?” Rees asks the doctor.
“Not normally, Sir. Patients ring the bell in the corridor and are then invited inside,” the doctor replies, looking a bit unsure of herself.
“Can you find someone to man it, to greet Captain Richards?” Rees enquires.
“Yes, Sir, of course.”
“Thank you, Doctor. Now, I believe you have set up an examination area for us?”
“Yes, Sir, right this way,” the doctor replies, turning to lead them into the ward.
Just past the reception area, the doctor takes them into a good-sized room with two beds inside. Each bed has a skirt around it close to the ceiling for the wrap-around hospital-style privacy curtain.
“Very good,” Major Rees says as they enter the room that looks like any other hospital patient’s room. “You also have a preparation room for us to use?”
“Yes, Sir, it is right next door if you would like to follow me.”
Winters watches from the doorway as Major Rees and his men settle into their preparation room after the doctor has left them to arrange somebody to man the reception desk.
Rees opens his doctor’s bag and begins to unload his equipment, some onto a desk and some onto a wheeled high table. Winters presumes that the equipment that goes onto the high table will be rolled through to use on Andy when he arrives.
“Lieutenant Winters,” Rees says.
“Yes, Sir.”
“When Captain Richards arrives, I would like you to go and welcome him with Doctor Wilson and show him to the examination room,” Rees instructs.
“Yes, Sir.”
“It’ll be good for him to see a familiar face. Tell him you decided to tag along for the journey to see that everything went well,” Rees says without looking up from the desk in front of him, where he is arranging his equipment.
“Of course, Sir,” Winters replies, knowing full well that Major Rees is trying to manipulate him.
“Very good, Lieutenant. Why don’t you take a seat until the Captain arrives?”
Winters is sure that Rees thinks he has him right where he wants him, and that’s okay. Winters will play along with the Major until he goes too far with Andy and then it will be time to manipulate him back. Winters has played these games many times, with operators more skilled than the Major, and was taught by an expert in manipulation, Colonel Reed. Major Rees is an amateur compared to the Colonel.
Winters takes his seat and is quickly joined by everyone else in the room while they wait for Andy to arrive. Time ticks on and they wait, Major Rees fidgets, looks at his watch and eventually tells one of his men to go and check with Doctor Wilson.
More than an hour passes and there is still no sign of Andy; he is more than half an hour late for his appointment. Winters begins to wonder whether Andy has outmanoeuvred everyone and in particular Major Rees, who grows more impatient with every passing minute.
“Captain Richards must be delayed. Could you phone him to see where he is, Lieutenant?” Major Rees asks, frustrated.
“There’s no answer on the number I have for him, Sir,” Winters informs the Major after Andy’s number rings out.
“Where the hell is he?” Rees demands, his frustration boiling over.
“I don’t know, Sir.”
“Have you had any communication with him since you left him, Lieutenant?” Rees growls accusingly at Winters.
“No, Sir, I certainly have not!” Winters replies, not liking Rees’s insinuation.
“Damn it!” Rees spits out, picking up his phone and stomping towards the door. “I will have to speak to General Cox.”
Winters watches Rees storm out of the room, as do the other men waiting for Captain Richards’ arrival. Major Rees is beginning to test Winters’ patience much like Colonel Reed once tended to before his downfall.
Winters has a phone number for both Andy’s son Josh and Catherine Hamilton, both of whom he could attempt to phone to try and find out where Andy is, if he were so inclined. Winters decides not to divulge that information to Rees. Instead, he makes his excuses and follows the Major out of the room.
Winters sees Rees pacing the waiting room beyond the reception desk, his head down and his phone clamped to his ear, deep in discussion with General Cox.
“Can I help you?” a voice says from beside Winters, startling him.
“Can you point me in the direction of a toilet, please?” Winters asks Doctor Wilson, who has appeared from nowhere.
“Straight down, on your left,” the doctor says, pointing further into the ward in the opposite direction from Major Rees.
Ideal, Winters thinks, as he sees that there is only one toilet, and he locks the door behind him. He needs privacy for his phone calls. First off, he finds Josh’s number and clicks on it, but it rings out with no answer. He then scrolls to find Catherine’s.
“Hello,” Catherine’s well-spoken voice answers.
“Catherine, it’s Lieutenant Winters. Can you tell me where Andy is? He’s missed his appointment at the hospital?” The line goes quiet for a moment, raising Winters’ suspicions. Catherine is obviously working out what to tell him. “Catherine, please tell me where he is. The military command isn’t going to let this go. I think you know that, and I can’t help if I don’t know what is going on.”
“Do you remember Stacey?” Catherine says, deciding to trust the Lieutenant. After all, if things go badly for them in London, Winters will be her first phone call for
help.
“Yes,” Winter replies.
“Do you remember her parents were trapped in London?”
“Yes,” Winters says with a sinking feeling in his belly. “Please don’t tell me Andy is going to try and get them out of London, Catherine. That would be madness. He isn’t, is he?”
“Yes… he is.”
“Holy shit, what is he thinking? It will be suicide,” Winters tells Catherine, not sparing her feelings.
“I tried to stop them, but you know what Andy’s like,” Catherine tells Winters.
“Them,” Winters exclaims. “Who is them?”
“Josh and Alice are with him.”
“Oh, my God, Catherine! When did they go? I’ve got to stop them!”
“They left late this afternoon. I don’t think you’ll be able to stop them,” Catherine confirms.
“How do they plan to get into London? It’s blocked off,” Winters asks.
“I don’t think I should say any more, Lieutenant. They have a plan, and it could work.”
“Could work! Have you lost your senses? Andy obviously has, taking his son into hell on earth! Tell me where they are Catherine, I can stop them,” Winters insists.
“I’m sorry, I can’t. Josh and Alice insisted on going and they are confident of the plan.”
“You’ve all gone fucking mad. Tell me, Catherine, for their own good,” Winters demands.
“I’m sorry Lieutenant. Now I must go, please keep this to yourself.”
“Keep this to…” The line goes dead as Catherine hangs up.
Winters’ heart races; he can’t believe what he’s just heard. Going into London, what the fuck! he thinks. He suddenly wishes he had never phoned Catherine. What the hell is he supposed to do with this information, withhold it from Major Rees? How can he? And if he does tell the Major, what will that mean for the three idiots on their way to London?
Winters goes over to the sink, putting his phone down on it and looking at himself in the mirror above it. He turns on the tap and splashes some cold water onto his face. Sit on the intel, for the time being, he tells himself. This information would send the top brass into meltdown and who knows what they’d decide to do. All he can do is pray that Andy gets out alive and be ready for a call from him if he suddenly decides he needs help.
Winters grabs some paper towels from the wall beside the sink and dries his face. He looks at himself in the mirror again as he throws the wet towels in the bin and tries to compose himself. After taking a few deep breaths, Winters grabs his phone and turns to unlock the door.
Shit, great timing, Winters thinks as he exits the toilet at the exact same time Major Rees appears at the end of the corridor. Rees locks eyes with Winters as he leaves the waiting room and strides in his direction. Winters prays that the Major turns in the direction of the room they have both just left, but he doesn’t. He comes straight at him.
“What are you up to, Lieutenant?” Major Rees demands of Winters as he closes in.
“Sir?” Winters asks, trying to look confused about the question.
“What are you doing, it’s a simple question, Lieutenant?”
“I was just relieving myself, Sir,” Winters replies.
“Are you sure you weren’t making contact with Richards?” the Major asks bluntly, his eyes looking to the phone in Winters’ hand.
“Sir, no Sir. I can try him again if you wish though, Sir,” Winters replies.
“Who have you been talking to on your phone then, Lieutenant?” Rees presses, still eyeballing his phone.
“No one Sir. I was just checking to see if I had any messages, Sir.”
“You won’t mind if I look at your phone then?” Rees tests.
“Of course not, Sir,” Winters replies, his belly tightening as he raises his phone up towards the Major.
Rees’s eyes now move away from the phone between them to stare at Winters. Winters’ belly tightens further as he calls Major Rees’s bluff, but his eyes meet Rees’s challenge.
“Follow me, Lieutenant,” Rees suddenly orders and turns on the spot.
Winters does as he is ordered, whilst slipping his phone out of sight and back into his pocket, his belly relaxing slightly.
Major Rees now does return to the room where the other men are still slouched in their chairs. Winters follows him in and stands to attention while he waits for the Major’s next move and he doesn’t have to wait long to find out what that is.
“Where is this cottage that you were at with Richards, Lieutenant?” Rees questions.
“It was near the town of Salcombe, on the South Coast, Sir,” Winters replies, already knowing where this conversation is heading.
“And you will be able to find it on a map, I presume, Lieutenant?” Rees asks.
“Yes, Sir.”
“Good. Get your gear together men, we are leaving,” Major Rees announces to the whole room.
Chapter 8
After a quick chat with Doctor Wilson, Major Rees leads his team rapidly out of the hospital. The team’s arrival back on the helipad takes the pilots by surprise. Both the pilot and his co-pilot are caught sleeping on the job, with their heads back in their pilot’s seats, mouths wide, catching flies. Rees soon shocks them back to reality and scrambling out of the cockpit.
“Sorry, Sir. We weren’t expecting you back so soon,” a red-faced pilot apologises.
“Neither was I. We have a new destination. Lieutenant Winters will give you the coordinates,” Rees tells the two men before he turns to retake his seat in the cabin.
The two men eye Winters with some confusion as he approaches them to pinpoint on their map where the cottage is. Neither of the men asks Winters why they are being asked to fly to a cottage in the middle of nowhere on the South Devon coast. They simply tell Winters that they have ‘got it’ before they climb back into the cockpit to plot their new flight path and Winters slowly joins Major Rees in the helicopter's cabin.
Thankfully, the uncomfortable silence in the cabin is soon broken by the sound of the helicopter’s engines starting. Both Winters and Rees stare out of the cabin’s window as the helicopter’s engines power up and it begins to rise off the helipad. Neither of the men turns away from the window, preferring to watch Derriford Hospital shrink in their view than look at each other.
“ETA, fifteen minutes,” the pilot announces into the men’s headphones.
Winters is beginning to panic slightly at the thought of Catherine giving away to Major Rees that they have recently spoken on the phone. If she decides to tell the Major that she has told Winters where Andy is, it could end very badly for him. He debates whether he can get away with taking his phone out of his pocket and pretend to be flicking through it innocently whilst actually sending Catherine a warning message. Winters quickly decides against it, as Rees is no fool. He will have to count on Catherine’s discretion; she is no fool either and Winters will try and gesture to her somehow to ward her to keep shtum.
The helicopter soon leaves Plymouth behind and the scenery below changes back to countryside and villages. Off in the distance is the sea, which will only get closer as they near Salcombe.
“Do you think Captain Richards will be at the cottage, Lieutenant?” Rees’s voice comes through Winters’ headset.
“I don’t see why not, where else could he be, Sir?” Winters replies innocently.
“I wonder,” Rees says. “Richards seems to be a law unto himself, wouldn’t you say, Lieutenant?”
“If you say so, Sir.”
“Wouldn’t you, Lieutenant?” Rees questions.
“He certainly has his own agenda, Sir. Which isn’t always in line with ours. His family is his priority, but we would be nowhere without him, Sir. He led the team to get the safe out of the Orion building, after all, Sir,” Winters tells Rees.
“I suppose he did, in his own way,” Rees concedes.
“Yes, Sir,” Winters agrees.
Daylight begins to fade, and the sea almost fills the entire view outs
ide of the cabin window as the pilot begins his descent. Winters cannot see any sign of the cottage from his vantage point in his seat, but he knows that they are closing in on it. Catherine and Andy’s daughter Emily are going to wonder what the hell is going on when the helicopter closes in and lands in the grounds next to the cottage. Winters prays once more that Catherine will keep their conversation to herself as the helicopter slows for its descent.
The helicopter manoeuvres around, changing Winters’ view, and then he sees it, the cottage just past the sand dunes. He doubted he’d ever see the building again when he left it and yet there it is, growing larger in front of his eyes.
Light suddenly pours out of the cottage’s front door as it is swung open for a moment and a single person comes out of the building. Winters focuses on that person and sees it is a woman, her dark hair swirling above her head, caught in the downdraft of the rotors. He is not surprised to see that it is Catherine who has come out to face the unexpected arrival. She waits close to the cottage for them to land, her arms crossed and a stern look etched across her face.
As the helicopter touches down, Winters notices two of the men in the cabin, Major Rees’s supposed ‘medical assistants’, pad the left side of their chests under their windbreaker jackets. Any notion that the two men have any significant medical knowledge is dispelled from Winters’ mind. They are here for one reason and one reason only, just as he had suspected.
The engines begin to wind down and just as before, the co-pilot jumps out of the cockpit to open the cabin door to let Major Rees out. Rees doesn’t hesitate; he climbs straight out of the cabin and strides across the grass, towards the cottage and the waiting Catherine. This time, Winters doesn’t delay, he follows Rees straight out, apologising to the two armed men as he goes, who stall in their seats as Winters beats them to the door.
Following Rees, Winters keeps pace with the Major whilst not crowding him, keen to give Catherine some kind of warning signal. The last thing he or Andy needs now is for him to be up on charges of insubordination and out of the game.
“Catherine Hamilton, I take it?” Major Rees demands as he approaches the woman before him.
Capital Falling | Book 4 | Sever Page 9