Capes

by Drabble, Matt

  The cynicism of the public had been replaced, for now at least, with a fear of the unknown. An unseen enemy had pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes and they were all feeling all the more foolish for it.

  CJ strolled around the new facility with a growing admiration for the place. It was larger than the old one and the security measures were greatly enhanced, as they would need to be.

  The lab had yet to be installed, but he’d given a list to the prime minister and it would go down the chain until his needs were met – he’d been assured of that.

  There would no skimping now and his demands would be met: no cutting corners, no cheapskate options. He would build a whole new Queen’s Guard from the ground up and he was going to do it his way.

  For the first time in a long time, he felt renewed, a fresh sense of purpose that burned through him. There was a new mission to instigate, a new enemy to fight, a new war to win, and this time he had a whole back catalogue of mistakes to learn from.

  The lab space was easily three times the size of the last one, and as he walked through, he made mental notes as to the layout.

  The team had been carefully selected, but he hadn’t taken enough of an account of the human fragilities and emotional components. This time he would build his team, learning from the first one and making significant improvements.

  There was a large set of files on his desk in his new office detailing fresh recruits from across the armed services and the police.

  As part of the deal struck with Clermont, he would have first pick of any and all service personnel, and there were already several outstanding candidates.

  He walked through his new domain with a swelling pride. He didn’t feel that it was unfair to entertain a sense of achievement with everything he’d been through, what they’d all been through. Great sacrifices had been made all around and they would not be in vain, of that he was absolutely determined.

  The battle in the aircraft hangar had almost finished him, taking him far closer to the edge of death than he’d ever thought possible. He’d almost died, but it had been that closeness to the grave that had filled with a new lease of life and a vision of what the bright future held in store for him.

  He passed the occasional person, most of who looked shocked to see him. Some asked to shake his hand, some shied away nervously, while a couple actually stopped to take a selfie with him.

  He could feel their awe again and he had to admit that it felt good, and why not? Hadn’t he earned it? Didn’t he deserve it? He had risked his life to save the country once again even though they had forgotten him. He had stayed on the front line to fight for them while they had abandoned him, but he didn’t blame them… after all, they were only human.

  The lab-to-be gave way to the temporary kitchen and then the common room, which he was surprised to find empty.

  He had hoped to find the others in a last-ditch attempt to make them stay… well, Jamie-Lyn and Link at least. Once Crimson had refused his healing help, the man was of little use to the new team, which was a shame as the man had an unparalleled talent for the dark arts of death. He would have made a great teacher.

  The common room gave way to what would be a state-of-the-art training room and then the large gym. The gym passed into what would be sleeping quarters, and finally, he reached the circular control room, the very hub of the base.

  The contractors had finished for the day, but CJ was pleased to see how far they’d come in such a short space of time, the prime minister living up to his part of the bargain and sparing no expense or resource to get the facility up and running.

  There was a huge central computer system that would run everything in the building with a bank of monitor screens that covered the walls. Windows encircled the room, allowing a 350-degree view of the base.

  He stood in the middle of the room and looked out over his new domain and felt a rush of excitement at the coming times and his place at the centre of it.

  “Impressive, isn’t it?”

  He turned, shocked that someone could walk up on him without him noticing, and found Link and Jamie-Lyn standing there.

  “You startled me,” CJ replied.

  “I didn’t think that was possible?” Link responded.

  “I suppose I must still be under the weather. Perhaps my abilities will take some time to fully recharge themselves.”

  “How are you feeling?” Jamie-Lyn asked with concern.

  “Oh, do not fret about me. I shall be fine, better than fine in fact,” he said, sweeping his hands around the room. “It shall be just like the old days again. Is Crimson not with you?”

  “He’s gone,” Jamie-Lyn replied as she took a stroll around the control room. “Packed up and left for a beach somewhere; he wouldn’t say where.”

  “Ever secretive to the last.” CJ nodded. “But he has earned his retirement, as have you both. Unless you have changed your minds?” he asked eagerly. “There is always room for you both here, a fresh start, a new build, a chance to do things differently this time.”

  “Would it really be different though?” Jamie-Lyn smiled sadly.

  “Of course.”

  “I want to believe that, CJ, but I can’t see it. I’m sure that you’ll start out with all of the best intentions, but at some point, the government will step in, start pushing agendas again, and the whole thing will fall apart just like before, just like after Havencrest.”

  “No,” he said firmly. “This time is different. I have been assured a free reign, a hands-off approach by the prime minister. It is the deal that we have made.”

  “And what about whoever comes after Simon Clermont?” Link asked.

  “I have only ever looked to serve this country, these people, all of you; is that not what I’ve done?” CJ asked, turning to Jamie-Lyn. “Have I not proved myself? Last time? This time?”

  “What about the next guy in the chair after Clermont? What will he want and what will you do to keep all this?” Link asked.

  “You make it sound like I’m the bad guy here,” CJ said uneasily.

  “You know I’ve spent some time with Gustafson’s drive over the past couple of weeks.” He looked over at Jamie-Lyn who shot him a disapproving look, and he shrugged back. “So I made a copy… let them sue me.”

  “You were not supposed to have that information, Mr Link, not if you are not going to be part of the team moving forwards,” CJ said, shaking his head disapprovingly.

  “Well you’ll have to forgive my distrust, CJ, but I’m not about to leave my ass hanging out in the wind. I wanted to know what was going on and what you were going to do about Gustafson.”

  “Still, it would not matter if you were to agree to join us? I am happy to answer any questions you might have in order to allay any fears.”

  “Well here’s one: I heard that you found and confiscated the dampening devices?”

  “That is correct. I’m afraid that my own levels of distrust are somewhat elevated at present.” CJ smiled.

  “I guess that’s perfectly understandable.” Link nodded. “But how did you know what they looked like?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “The drive… now that I’ve had a few weeks to run through the information with little else to do but stare at a computer screen, I’ve had time to study pretty much everything on there.”

  “As have we.” CJ nodded.

  “That’s good. Great, in fact. You’ll need that information to hopefully find Gustafson, but here’s the thing: the dampening devices were specifically made to look ordinary, nonthreatening; they were designed to look like everyday items, in this case a small globe keychain that would fit in anyone’s pocket.”

  “It was in Cynthia Arrow’s pocket, to be precise,” CJ responded.

  “But how did you know what it looked like?” Link pressed.

  CJ stared at him for an uncomfortably long time before he spoke.

  “What exactly is this, Mr Link?”

  “It’s just a question.”


  “I have to say that it feels rather more like an interrogation.”

  “I just couldn’t understand how you could have known what the dampener device looked like especially when it was something so innocuous.”

  “I didn’t need to know what it looked like, Mr Link. I only had to get close enough to feel its power; after that it was just a rather painful case of sticking close enough and sorting through her things to conduct a process of elimination.”

  “Maybe.” Link nodded thoughtfully. “It certainly sounds plausible enough.”

  “I am so glad that you agree, Mr Link,” CJ replied coldly. “Maybe I have been mistaken about you. Perhaps you are not Queen’s Guard material after all. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m afraid that I have important work to do.”

  CJ turned to leave, after shooting a look at Jamie-Lyn who could not meet his gaze.

  “I am disappointed in you,” he said, addressing her directly. “I thought that we were friends. After everything that we went through together – you, me, the team – you would let a newcomer put doubt in your mind.”

  She opened her mouth to protest but he shook his head.

  “Don’t deny it, Jamie-Lyn. The doubt is written all over your face and that hurts.”

  “You ever get a piece of popcorn skin stuck in your teeth, CJ?” Link asked abruptly.

  “I’m sorry?”

  “Something gets lodged in there, and no matter what you do, you just can’t reach it; that ever happen to you?”

  “I don’t believe so.”

  “Well here’s the thing, CJ. Here’s the thing that has been tickling at the back of my mind, something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on until I saw Crimson eating that stew. Back at the research base in Sweden, you remember all the crazy shit that was going on?” he asked while turning to Jamie-Lyn. “When those nutters were outside and yelling at us?”

  “That’s something that’s pretty hard to forget,” she admitted.

  “The guy that was shouting some kind of religious stuff, bible quotes about hellfire and brimstone… we all thought that they must be SOUL, right?”

  “At the time, sure.” She nodded.

  “Then he started calling out names. You remember?”

  “Astrid, Erik and Freja,” she replied.

  “What is it that you are getting at?” CJ asked, but Link didn’t respond to him directly; instead he kept on talking to Jamie-Lyn.

  “There was a moment out there that stuck in my head, something that my brain filed away but I hadn’t been able to recall until recently.”

  “And are you going to share it?” CJ said a little testily.

  “Well the guy was yelling in English… English, but with a thick Swedish accent, right?”

  “Sure.” Jamie-Lyn nodded.

  “Only that isn’t quite true. There was one thing he shouted that wasn’t in English. He yelled something, and then you shoved me aside just before they started firing and attacking,” Link said, turning to CJ.

  “Are you thanking me for saving your life?” CJ asked, confused.

  “No, I’m wondering just how is it that you speak Swedish?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You understood that guy, CJ; you heard him, and you knew that he was giving the order to fire or attack or something along those lines and you reacted. So how do you speak Swedish?”

  CJ opened his mouth to answer but his eyes met with Jamie-Lyn’s and he stopped himself.

  “I want you to do something for me, Jamie-Lyn. Can you do that?”

  “That sounds rather ominous.”

  “Think about everything that we’ve been through, all the years we’ve been friends. I want you to think about what I’ve done for this country, for these people. I want you to think about the lives I’ve saved and the deaths I’ve avenged; can you do that? Because I’m not asking for much, I’m really not. I just need you to do one little thing, okay? I just need you to give me a blind promise. Can you do that?”

  “I… I don’t know.”

  “Can you promise me something on trust? I do believe that I’ve earned it.”

  “Okay, CJ, for old time’s sake. Okay, I promise. What is it that you want me to do?”

  “Don’t scream.”

  The energy blast from CJ’s suddenly clenched fist hit Link squarely in the chest leaving a gaping smoking hole. His eyes grew wide with shock as he looked down, unable to comprehend what had happened.

  For her part, Jamie-Lyn was unable to keep her promise.

  chapter 46

  CLEANING HOUSE

  23 hours ago

  Reagan Holgate drove the car while Dougie Renner sat beside him in the passenger seat.

  They drove in silence, each man lost in his own thoughts and thinking of a very bright future.

  The two of them had been best friends and work partners for over 15 years now. They had travelled around the world together as a two-man unit for ARK, helping to report on some of the biggest breaking news stories.

  While they loved their work, they didn’t love the pay, and as of late, their assignments had been drifting towards the more mundane celebrity nonsense that may have brought in viewers but left them bored to tears.

  Reagan especially loathed the spoilt talentless children that they had to film and interview. Mindless nothings with interchangeable faces, young men who lived in the gym to hone their usually shirtless physiques, and young women who seemed to spend most of their time under a surgeon’s knife despite their tender years.

  While Dougie was the easier going of the two of them, even he had started to tire of watching these punks wearing watches and jewellery that cost more than either of them had paid for their respective houses.

  The job with Summer Sloan could have got them both killed, but somehow they’d survived, and now they were going to finally receive the sort of restitution that was going to change their lives.

  “It’s like a lottery win, isn’t it?” Dougie breathed excitedly as he took the paperwork out of his pocket and thumbed through it again.

  “Hey, man, we earned that, every damn penny,” Reagan responded as he fought to keep his eyes and concentration on the road as he heard the rustle of papers.

  “We’re really going to do it? Sign, I mean? Right?”

  “Damn straight we are.”

  “Do you think we should?” Dougie asked awkwardly. “I mean…, what about integrity and all that? We sign this and cash the cheque and that’s all she wrote? None of what we saw or heard ever happened, right?”

  “Screw it and screw them. You really think that Summer Sloan isn’t cashing in her own ticket right about now? I bet she’s getting a hell of a lot more out of this than we are.”

  “Maybe, but we’re getting enough. I mean, I’m not a greedy bastard; I just want what we’re due and this covers it,” Dougie said, rattling the papers. “Why shouldn’t we get a shot at the good life? I don’t know about you, but I’m sick and tired of watching useless tossers get everything their feeble minds desire while we travel economy and stay in shitty flea-ridden hotels.”

  “You’re right. I know you’re right.”

  “Hey, I’m always right, partner.” Dougie laughed. “Stick with me, and this time next week, we’ll be starting our new lives somewhere far away from all of this crap.”

  “Did you see or hear anything?” Reagan asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean when all the shit was going down out there, when those nutjobs were all doing their batshit crazy shtick, those government guys – the ones that were doing the interrogation – that’s all they kept on asking me, you know? What did I hear? What did I see? What do I know? What wasn’t I telling them?”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  “I was in the truck picking up the broadcast, but to be honest, I was too busy trying to figure a way out while that bitch’s goons held guns on me. You were out there in the middle of it. Did you hear anything that would make the government so jumpy?”

>   “It doesn’t matter what I heard,” Dougie said, firmly shaking his head. “I told them that I ran the second no one was looking, got my ass out of there and didn’t look back.”

  “You know they confiscated all of my stuff? They took the van and everything in it before I could review anything.”

  “Like I said, it doesn’t matter,” Dougie replied forcefully. “I don’t give a shit what any of those bastards are up to. They can sort themselves out while we’re getting the hell out of here. I told them I didn’t know anything, and I’m sticking to that story.”

  Reagan returned his full concentration to the road with a curt nod to himself. Dougie was right, of course. Just like the man said, he was always right. Let the spooks play their games; it was no place for amateurs like them.

  There was a sudden light from behind, and Reagan thought for a moment that some asshole was driving too close with their full beams on. But when he checked the rear-view mirror, there was a strange purple crackling light behind, one that was coming from the back seat, accompanied by twin glowing yellow eyes.

  He didn’t have time to turn around before his chest was suddenly being constricted as a purple light started to shine through his chest and glow out through his shirt like a carved pumpkin at Halloween.

  His breathing became restricted as he gasped helplessly for air. He was dimly aware of Dougie, who had only managed to half turn around, screaming as the car hit the guardrail at the side of the road before breaking through it as his foot involuntarily stamped down hard on the accelerator, making the car leap forwards before plummeting downwards and downwards into the blackness.

  ----------

  22 hours ago

  Dennison sat at his computer in his apartment’s home office wearing pyjamas and staring at the screen, his finger hovering over the mouse button as he tried to decide whether or not to click.

  The plane tickets were expensive, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t afford it. His bank accounts were stuffed full after a multitude of years being bribed and living off civil service and government expenses.

  He was a frugal man and his whole working career had been spent feathering a retirement nest while he was still young enough to enjoy it.