by Jim Eldridge
‘Some of them will be the books that have been found and brought here,’ said Jake.
‘OK, start opening them,’ said Guy.
Jake shook his head.
‘That’s too dangerous. Some of the books contain traps to protect the information that’s in them. The only answer is to take all of them with us and find out which one is The Index later.’
Guy looked at the packets suspiciously.
‘Say none of them are The Index?’ he queried. ‘Say these are just books with weird sciences in them?’
‘They’ll still be worth a fortune,’ urged Jake. ‘Each book will contain secrets that could be patented.’
‘I don’t want just a few of the books!’ growled Guy. ‘I want The Index. I want to know where all of them are! You promised me The Index, Jake!’ He shook his head. ‘I’ll take these, but that wasn’t our bargain!’
Once again he levelled the gun at Jake, and all Jake could think of was that it had all been in vain. He was going to die. Lauren was going to die.
‘No!’ he begged, and he half turned, flinching away from the bullet he knew would be coming, and as he did so he saw the brown paper package with ‘Malichea — The Index’ written on it in faded letters.
Chapter 27
‘It’s here!’ he breathed.
‘What?’ queried Guy, suspicion still in his voice.
‘The Index!’ exclaimed Jake. He pointed a trembling finger at the package. ‘Look! There! They’ve even labelled it!’ He took the package off the shelf and held it out towards Guy, so he could see the lettering on it.
Guy snatched the package from Jake, his eyes lighting up with greed.
‘This is it!’ he said, awed. ‘The Index!’
‘Make the phone call!’ begged Jake. ‘You promised!’
The thought of the phone call jerked Guy back into the present.
‘Once we’re back outside,’ he snapped.
‘That wasn’t part of the deal!’ protested Jake desperately.
‘I’m the one with the gun, Jake,’ said Guy menacingly. ‘I say the terms of the deal.’ He gestured at the leather-bound Malichea books on the shelf. ‘Grab those and bring them with us.’
Jake scooped the Malichea books up in his arms.
‘OK,’ said Guy. ‘Let’s go.’
They ran back to the side door through which they’d come in. All the time, Jake was expecting someone to appear and gun them down, but it seemed there was only the one soldier on duty at a time actually inside the hangar. It made sense; with the high levels of security checking people coming in, it was highly unlikely the wrong people would be able to make it inside. Except today. Today, he and Guy had got in, and they had The Index. Now all they had to do was get out, and Lauren would be saved.
There were no security checks needed to get back out into the open, no ID scanners, no fingerprint checks.
‘OK,’ said Guy once they were outside. ‘Get back into the boot. The guards only saw one of us drive in, we don’t want to raise suspicion by them seeing two of us going out.’
Jake threw the Malichea books on the back seat, then opened the boot, peeled back the carpet, and climbed into the small space. Guy pulled the carpet over him.
Jake heard Guy getting into the car and the engine starting up. Then it began to move forward, stopping shortly afterwards. Jake heard the exchange between the soldiers on duty and Guy, with Guy sounding as relaxed as ever. Again, there were no fingerprint checks needed to get out, just a quick flash of the ID card Guy was carrying; and then there was the sound of mechanics as the gate swung open, and the car drove through.
The car drove for a short way, and pulled up.
Maybe he’s making that phone call? thought Jake desperately. But instead he heard the boot open and the carpet was peeled back. Guy stood there, holding the gun. They were in the same car park where they’d parked before.
‘Right, Jake. Get back in the driving seat. The guards saw you driving me in the main gate, so we’ll let them see the same thing going out. You at the wheel. Me in the back. Again, there’s no sense in having them asking awkward questions about what happened to you, and where you were dropped off.’
‘The phone call to Des,’ said Jake urgently. He showed Guy his watch. ‘It’s twenty-three minutes past. Seven minutes.’
‘It’ll be fine,’ Guy told him reassuringly. ‘In two minutes we’ll be out through the main gate. I saw a lay-by about a hundred metres away from the main gate as we drove in. It’s sheltered by trees. Pull up there. I’ll make the call from there.’
Jake jumped behind the steering wheel of the SUV. Seven minutes! He prayed they wouldn’t be held up going through the main gate.
Guy got into the back, the gun cradled in his hand. Jake guessed The Index was next to him on the seat.
‘Just remember, I’ve got the gun trained on you, just like before,’ Guy reminded him. ‘And you need me to make that call.’
‘No tricks,’ Jake assured him.
Jake drove back along the main route of the base, fighting the urge to go at speed, but desperate not to be stopped for breaking the 10 mph speed limit. They reached the main gate, and the barrier.
Once again, Jake and Guy showed their ID cards to the soldier on duty in the cabin. Jake shot a glance at the clock in the dashboard. 17:26. Four minutes to go.
Raise the barrier! he begged silently. Instead, the soldier inside the cabin turned and began to talk to his companion.
No! thought Jake. Stop talking! Raise the barrier!
The clock moved to 17:27. Three minutes to go!
Jake was about to lower his window and shout at the soldier, but before he could, the soldier pressed a button, and the barrier rose. Jake drove the SUV through.
A lay-by, Guy had said. A hundred metres from the main gate. Shielded by trees. Where was it?
Then he saw it.
He pulled the car into the lay-by and turned urgently to Guy.
‘The phone call!’
‘Of course.’ Guy nodded. ‘OK. Get out of the car.’
‘Why?’ demanded Jake.
‘Because I need you at a safe distance from me while I make the call,’ said Guy. ‘And even with a gun in my hand pointed at you, I don’t trust you, Jake. I think once I’ve made the call, you’ll try and jump me.’
‘Make the call!’ begged Jake.
‘Out of the car!’ repeated Guy.
Jake pushed open the door and stumbled out. Guy stepped out of the rear of the car, moving back from Jake, keeping a safe distance between them. He had his gun in his hand, but no phone.
‘Your phone!’ urged Jake. ‘You’ve got The Index! Make the call!’
Guy sighed and shook his head. ‘It’ll be a waste of time, Jake. They’re dead already.’
‘No!’ shouted Jake. He held his watch out towards Guy. ‘There’s still one minute!’
Guy shook his head again.
‘You really are so gullible, Jake,’ he said sadly. ‘That business of my crew at the castle waiting for a phone call from me not to kill them. Why would I be stupid enough to let them go free? They can tell everyone about me, and about what happened.’ He shook his head. ‘Sorry, Jake. She’s dead. That’s what I whispered to Des, just before we left. I told my people to kill her after we’d gone, along with your boss, Gareth Findlay-Weston, and poor old Dan, and then clear out.’
Jake felt himself tremble, and he battled to stop himself shaking.
‘You’re lying!’ he snapped.
‘Why would I lie about that?’ Guy shrugged. ‘All I was ever after was The Index. Now I’ve got it, thanks to you. As long as you and your girlfriend, and Findlay-Weston, and even Dan, are all alive, you’re a danger to me. In the old clichéd phrase, you know too much. You were always going to die.’
‘No!’ roared Jake, filled with more pain and anger than he’d ever known in his whole life. He threw himself forward at Guy, just as Guy fired. Jake felt the bullet pluck at his clothes and then felt a
searing pain in his shoulder, but by then he was on Guy, grabbing for his gun-hand. The force of his rush brought both of them crashing down as Guy fired again, the bullet this time going harmlessly up into the late-afternoon sky.
Desperately, Jake held on to the wrist of Guy’s gun-hand with one hand, forcing the barrel of the gun away from him, while with his other hand he grabbed Guy around the throat, trying to choke him. Guy brought up his knee sharply into Jake’s groin, and the sudden pain made him release his hold on Guy’s throat.
Guy smashed his head forward, butting Jake full in the face, and Jake felt blood pour from his nose. Guy tried head-butting Jake again, but this time Jake jerked his head to one side, and Guy’s head thudded into Jake’s shoulder.
Jake turned his head, seizing Guy’s ear between his teeth, and bit hard, while at the same time scrabbling with his free hand for the gun, desperate to wrench it out of Guy’s hand. Guy howled with pain, and then kneed Jake in the groin again. A sick feeling surged through Jake, and for a second he lost his grip on Guy’s gun-hand. Frantically, Jake grabbed for the pistol again, but Guy was too fast, and he used the gun as a club, smashing it into Jake’s face. Another strike from the gun, this one to the side of Jake’s neck, made him reel. He was aware of Guy struggling to his feet, and then standing, pointing the gun down at him. Jake tried to struggle to his feet, but a kick from Guy struck him hard on the side of the head, and he went down again. He tried to claw his way up, tried to leap at Guy, but Guy had moved back out of range, and now the gun was trained firmly on Jake.
Guy grinned vindictively.
‘Goodbye, Jake,’ he purred. ‘It was interesting knowing you.’
A shot rang out and instinctively Jake closed his eyes . . .
Nothing happened. There was no tearing pain, no shattering thud as a bullet tore into him. Instead, Jake heard a crashing sound. He opened his eyes and saw Guy on his knees, his mouth and eyes wide open in shock. There was the sound of another shot, and then Guy fell face forward on to the ground.
Chapter 28
Everything happened fast in the next few moments: a man completely covered from head to foot in black, and holding an automatic rifle, appeared, pointing the rifle at Jake. Jake felt his arms being grabbed and himself being lifted up off the ground, and then he was being hurried towards a large van. He was aware of another man, also dressed in black, standing nearby, his automatic rifle trained on him.
Special forces, realised Jake.
As Jake and the special forces soldier neared the van, the rear doors swung open, and Jake found himself being bundled into the back. He was shoved towards a wooden bench and pushed down on to it. Then three black-clad soldiers clambered in and sat down, one opposite and two sitting one on either side of him.
The last thing he saw was a black-clad soldier standing over Guy’s still body, then the rear doors slammed shut, and the van moved off.
‘What’s happening?’ asked Jake. ‘Where are we going?’
‘Shut up,’ grunted one of the soldiers tersely.
‘Do you know Lauren? Is she all right?’
The soldier opposite him shook his head.
‘Don’t know who you’re talking about,’ he said.
‘But . . .’ appealed Jake.
‘No questions,’ snapped one of the soldiers beside him.
Jake shut up.
They rescued me, so they must be all right, he told himself.
But where was Lauren? Was she safe?
The journey took over an hour, the van shaking the whole while as it raced along. During that time the soldiers didn’t exchange a word with Jake, or with one another.
Finally, the van pulled up. The rear doors opened and a tall man in a dark suit looked in.
‘Welcome, Mr Wells,’ he said in friendly tones. ‘You can get out now.’
Bewildered, Jake stumbled out of the van. He looked around and saw he was in an underground car park. The man shut the rear door, and the van raced off, heading for the exit.
‘Who are you?’ asked Jake.
‘You may call me Gerald. Think of me as a friend,’ said the man.
‘Where’s Lauren?’ demanded Jake desperately.
Gerald nodded. ‘She’s fine. You’ll see her in a moment. Please follow me.’
Jake followed Gerald to a lift, the door of which was already open. Jake hesitated.
‘You’re quite safe,’ the man reassured him.
Gerald stepped into the lift, and Jake followed.
‘Second floor,’ said Gerald, and a mechanised electronic voice repeated: ‘Second floor.’
Then the door closed and the lift rose.
Jake stepped out of the lift, and found himself face to face with a uniformed police officer, holding an automatic rifle.
‘Pig seven,’ said Gerald calmly, and the police officer stepped to one side and took up a position beside the lift.
Jake followed his escort along a corridor lined with numbered doors. I’m in an apartment block, he realised.
Gerald stopped by a door and rang the bell. The door opened, and Lauren looked out, apprehensive and nervous, until she saw Jake, and then her face broke into a huge smile of relief.
‘Jake!’ she burst out.
‘I’ll leave you two,’ said the man who called himself Gerald. ‘I’m sure you’ve got some catching up to do. If you need anything, just use the phone.’
With that, he turned and headed back along the corridor towards the lift. Jake stepped into the flat, and into Lauren’s arms, and they hugged as if their lives had unexpectedly come back to them.
‘So, what is this place?’ asked Jake.
‘It’s an MI5 safe house,’ said Lauren.
Lauren had patched up Jake’s cuts and bruises, and now they were sitting in the very comfortable living room, drinking coffee.
‘How did you get here?’ asked Jake. ‘How did you and Gareth and Dan get out of there?’
‘Special forces,’ said Lauren. She shook her head. ‘I still don’t know how they found us, and I don’t think Gareth does, either. Although I didn’t see much of him afterwards. They took him off to hospital.’
‘But how did they know where to find you?’ persisted Jake. ‘They’d smashed our mobile phones. No one knew where Gareth was, or you, or me.’
‘I don’t know,’ Lauren admitted. ‘All I do know is that we were in that dungeon, and I was thinking of you at Laker Heath, and terrified about what was going to happen to you, and then suddenly we heard an explosion and gunfire from upstairs, and then these special forces types came down into the dungeon and released us.’
‘The kids?’
‘Locked up. But not before the explosion we heard freaked them all out. It was some kind of stun grenade going off.’
‘And then?’
‘And then I was brought here. I asked everyone what had happened to you, but no one would tell me.’
‘Oh, I was OK,’ said Jake.
‘No you weren’t!’ burst out Lauren angrily. ‘You went off with Guy to a place where you knew they didn’t have The Index. You nearly got killed!’
‘The Index was there,’ said Jake.
Lauren stared at him.
‘What?’ she said, surprised.
‘It’s true,’ said Jake. ‘I held it in my hand.’
Lauren continued to stare, awed.
‘The Index?’ she stressed. ‘The actual book itself?’
‘Yes.’
Lauren grabbed him tightly to her.
‘I was sure you were dead!’ she said. ‘I was certain he’d kill you when he found out you were just guessing, and there was no Index!’
‘Well, I’m here!’ Jake reminded her.
‘Yes, but . . .’ Lauren shook her head. ‘I still don’t understand how that happened.’
‘Nor do I,’ said Jake. ‘But hopefully someone will tell us.’
Chapter 29
The flat was well stocked, and the next morning they were able to prepare breakfast for
themselves. No sooner had they finished than there was a ring at the door. Jake opened it. His escort from the previous night, Gerald, was standing there.
‘I hope you had a good night’s rest,’ he said. ‘Mr Findlay-Weston would like to see you. When you’re ready, I’ll take you to him.’
‘We’re ready now,’ said Jake. The sooner we get to the bottom of this, the better, he thought.
Jake and Lauren followed Gerald back down to the underground car park, passing the armed police officer on duty at the lift. A car was waiting for them, a Merc.
‘A bit more luxurious than the last vehicle I was here in,’ observed Jake.
They drove through parts of London Jake didn’t recognise, until they neared an area he did.
‘We’re in Greenwich,’ he said. He pointed out through the window. ‘There’s the Royal Observatory. And the park.’
The car zigzagged through some quiet side streets, until it pulled into the car park outside a small building, with a sign that read: ‘Lansdowne Medical Centre’.
‘Gareth?’ asked Jake.
‘He’s been undergoing some treatment,’ said Gerald.
‘Is he all right?’ asked Lauren.
‘I’ll let Mr Findlay-Weston tell you that himself,’ he replied.
He opened the doors for them, then headed towards the main entrance. As they followed him, Jake noticed that, as at the safe house, there was an armed police officer on duty.
Gerald flashed an ID card at the officer, who stepped aside and let them enter.
Inside, the building was like a small cottage hospital, but very high-tech. Lots of medical apparatus and staff, but no sign of the usual waiting areas.
It’s a hospital for top-level security cases, realised Jake. People like Gareth.
They walked along a narrow corridor until they came to a door marked ‘5’. Gerald tapped at the door, and then opened it.
Jake and Lauren saw Gareth lying in a hospital bed, attached to a monitor. The big surprise was seeing Sue Clark sitting on a chair beside Gareth’s bed. She got up as she saw them, and headed for the door.
‘Hi,’ said Jake.
Clark nodded briefly in greeting, unsmiling, then brushed past them and walked away, towards the exit.