Cloud Field

by A M Russell

I found I was whispering ‘I can’t see anything. What are we looking for?’

  ‘A lever. We need to get into this cell block.’

  ‘Was Elland telling us the truth?’

  ‘No way of knowing.’ Jared was feeling around in the lumpy crumbling earth wall, ‘it’s got to be here somewhere.’

  ‘Torch?’

  ‘Ok.’

  I switched it on to full beam and scrutinised the walls and the ceiling. We were looking for some part of the mechanism that would open the panel taking us into the official corridor beyond.

  ‘Who built all these secret passage ways?’ I saw a beam with a slight reflective bit of metal, ‘Up there.’

  Jared traced the line back; ‘Yes. It’s there. I think they are very old. In fact they could just be natural fissures that were widened and kept from collapsing.’

  We found the metal rod. The lever had been broken off or removed at some time in the past. ‘Alright. Together. One; Two; Three!’ We both pulled with all our combined strength. The panel popped open letting in a thin sliver of dim yellowish light. We put our torches away, and crack at a time pushed the panel outwards. Several bits of rock and a lot of dust fell from above.

  I was still coughing when a voice said: ‘Well it’s about Time. And where is my shot?’

  As the dust cleared, I saw Jared kneeling down clutching the hands of someone who looked just as dusty and scruffy as us. He sprawled in a half sitting position inside the bars of what I can only now think of as a cage; in that they were made of a bamboo type plant and riveted with metal pins. The man was literally grimed with the earthy crumbling stuff clothes, hair, everything, so that I was unsure of his identity at first.

  ‘Tell me what happened, while we work on getting you out.’

  ‘For God’s sake give me the shot. Please.’ he said.

  Jared glanced at me, ‘We have to get you out of here first. I cannot risk it until we know what they might have given you.’

  ‘Jared! For the love of mercy please!’ he clung onto Jared’s arm, ‘You must see what’s happening. You must. You’re no fool. I’m the one Jared. I’m the spike. I didn’t know until he came back. I saw… I saw him….’ Here he shuddered, ‘It was terrifying. I don’t want that! I swear to you. Help Me. Please Jared….’ His voice disappeared into a dry husky squeak.

  ‘Davey. Get some water.’ Jared stood up. ‘Then we get him out. We’re going to have to sort of break the rules a little. Things may get very….. Weird. But trust me ok?’

  ‘I do.’ I said ‘I mean I will.’ I got a small container from my pack and half filled it with water. I passed it through the bars. He sipped it slowly. Training I guess. When you’re thirsty it’s best to sip slowly. Things like that can save your life. He gave me back the cup. ‘Thanks….’ then softly so I could barely hear, ‘Davey, please just run.’

  I just stared at him puzzled. Then I felt a prickle on my neck; a slight movement of air. I half turned. Jared just stood. There was no point in running. No point at all.

  ‘Milnes and Arden! Well this is a surprise!’ the owner of the voice I saw quite clearly. I saw him standing a few feet away and I didn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it. It was impossible!

  The same height, the same build but with a little thickening from being older, he stood staring at me, challenging me to deny this fearful thing.

  ‘Hello Mr Jules Alexander!’ Jared said with a snarl of hatred in his voice, ‘I thought so!’

  *****

  Twenty

  Given the situation, and the twenty or so guards who gushed in behind Mr Alexander, it was incredible that the thing uppermost in my mind was not: “This is really bad, how on earth can we get out of this?” But “How is it possible that one decision could bring about two so radically different people?” I hadn’t given up. Not one bit. But I knew that if we could answer that we could answer everything.

  They clipped us in metal cuffs and led us from there to another busy place full of men and machinery and packing boxes. And then into a small office with a desk and some chairs; and bizarrely, I thought, a bookcase with various textbooks on it. All the men wore the desert kit I had seen at the fountain place. They were blank faced and not open to persuasion of any sort. Clearly they were military personnel. Of all the moments in my whole adventure this was the most disquieting. I didn’t expect he’d let us out alive. They sat us down. Jared was completely closed off. I waited until we were alone for a moment, bolted to the metal chairs.

  ‘What happens to someone, if they have met another… one of themselves?’ I asked him.

  He turned his head slowly, looking for anything hidden above us; ‘One of them has to cease. One of them has to disappear.’

  ‘But here that cannot happen, because the anomaly prevents one thing from becoming history… the final err word on things?’

  ‘Quite so.’

  ‘You said you saw yourself Jared.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Could I see myself?’

  ‘Yes. I’m sure it’s possible.’ He rolled his eyes at me. I wasn’t sure of the meaning, so I simply lowered my voice.

  ‘But if that’s possible I could not be here in this chair but out there in the corridor… err having hidden before they arrived. So that I could….’

  There felt then to be a strange lurching inside. As if my insides were trying to get a grip in a fast car. Jared was looking at me. I felt sick. As if I’d been here before…. Then, the man called Mr Alexander came back in.

  ‘Ah! I see you’ve made yourselves comfortable!’ His comment was so very nearly like one that the real Jules would make in a different context that I let out an involuntary snort of laughter.

  ‘Amused?’ He indicated to the guard at his right hand, ‘You won’t be. Not when you see what I’ve got lined up for you.’

  They unclipped us and lifted us roughly then. I did not know if the being left alone in a room was a sort of a test or something. But now I felt annoying about being pulled about like a side of venison. They took us to a wide open cave where the ceiling disappeared into dimly lit space. The organic lights were here. I tried to remember the geography of the places we had been and work out if this was in any way connected to them.

  My heart sank. Oliver and Marcia were stood there similarly attired in the steel cuffs. They pushed us all together.

  ‘She wasn’t there.’ hissed Marcia, ‘we think she could have escaped herself.’

  Of this information sharing they seemed unaware. Oliver stood enigmatic as any Welsh man ought in the circumstances. He had a proud heritage, he wasn’t afraid to die. He wasn’t afraid to fight, or to live and breathe and be all the things that we had all believed were about living life to the full. This evil Jules, the one we had not chosen to be our friend stood there, arms akimbo, mocking us, with every self-conscious movement in front of the officers he had at his command.

  ‘We need to have justice served on the loathsome creatures, do we not?’ he seemed to be looking at Jared and at Oliver.

  ‘Even the innocent must suffer… is it not so Jared? So that the greater good can be served.’

  With a nod he moved one of his men to take off Marcia’s bonds. She was defiant in attitude but unable to struggle free from the soldier. Besides, we were surrounded.

  ‘So now,’ Mr Alexander continued, ‘I will demonstrate why your petty attempts to wreak my perfect world are doomed to futility.’ Here the soldier dragged Marcia near to what I now saw was the edge of a vast drop.

  ‘You do understand, don’t you, that by doing what you have been trained to do. You have in fact made this possible….. You have made it perfect. You cannot escape. You have locked yourself into the perfect circle of consequence. One life. One death. And no coming back.’

  The soldier pulled her right to the edge. Characteristically she struggled. She twisted her body around in a vain attempt to escape the grip of her captor. Jared pulled with all his might then against the two who held him. Unbelievably he dragg
ed them several yards. I saw that he was breathing harder and faster.

  ‘Let him go to her.’

  They released him from his bonds, and he ran to Marcia. She was also released and they held each other so tightly I thought they had blended into one form as the tears of rage stung my eyes.

  ‘So pretty. So sweet.’ Alexander seemed to consider something; ‘perhaps even real. But not in this world for much longer.’

  Six of them pulled Marcia and Jared apart. Backwards she stumbled as she locked eyes with Jared. She seemed surprised as if this was not the way of it.

  ‘Now. We shall see if you can get out of this one.’ Alexander raised a hand. The two of the men swung Marcia backwards, and then let go.

  The strange thing was it seemed to happen so slowly. As if every moment was magnified. As if we stood near a black hole. I am certain I screamed out something I don’t know what.

  She trembled for a moment on the edge. I thought she had her balance. Then Alexander walked up to her and with barely a touch; Oh the lightest of taps, like a lovers’ caress, sent her toppling over into oblivion.

  There was a fraction of a moment of silence. Then time speeded up to normal. Jared was screaming with hate and pain. I had never heard such a sound come from a man’s lips. Nor would I ever want to again. He threw them off him bellowing. He dived for the nearest, I saw a red spurt like ketchup. The man was down. The problem was there were too many of them.

  Alexander backed off. He seemed perturbed by this new turn of events. And quickly, shielded by the soldiers he left. They melted away. We were alone. It seemed they had left us out on this precipice locking the doors behind them. No way out and no way down. Jared screamed and threw himself against the barred doors. They just stared at him for a moment and then turned away.

  We were alone. Oliver frisked the dead guard. He took the keys from him and unlocked our cuffs. I looked down to see another Man’s blood on his hands. Oliver and I rubbed our wrists. He took out a water bottle and encouraged me to sip.

  Jared was finally quiet. He was laid down near the edge where Marcia had fallen, he was barely moving. I supposed in an objective kind of way that it would be a nice way to go. Like flying. Or maybe like drowning. The reasonable part of me was equally horrified by the images swimming in my mind of the last half an hour. And relieved that it wasn’t in question what our fate would now be.

  When what seemed to me to be a decent time had passed, I indicated to Oliver I would go over to Jared. He nodded with approval and gave me one of the small water bottles to take across. I went and knelt down a few yards away. I watched him, trying to gauge which words I could use that would do the least damage. I felt queasy and strangely clear-headed. I could stop all this in a moment I knew. But then we would be back to square one. How many times had Jared seen her die? In this way or other ways? I had one card to play; the fact that I had not been here before. The briefest of brief innocence, before I too was locked into a circle of consequence. I blinked a few times. That phrase "circle of consequence" sat in my mind like an undigested piece of meat. Jared stirred. He pressed his hands flat against the ground and heaved himself up into a sitting position. I didn't move or speak, but gave him time to notice me. He looked at me, his face softened with pain. I saw something odd then, that I had not seen before... His eyes, the deepest blue, and bright with tears were exactly like Janey's eyes. So alike in fact, that I was stunned. I saw in front of me someone younger than he had ever been. Glowing with grief like the midsummer sun. He was no longer just my Captain, but my brother. Deeper and deeper it went inside me until I felt I could bear it no longer. Jared reached out to me. I went to him. I hugged this man, my brother, my friend. I was remembering all the times that we would adventure together, and all those memories of things yet to be. Again and again, he would try to save her. Sometimes she would be here laid between us, but always the same outcome.

  'I know Marcia is your friend too.' As he said those words, they were like echoes remembered. Also true. We knelt face to face and Jared sipped some of the water I had brought him.

  'It's not over.' he whispered, 'we can get all the rest of them home.'

  'But what about....?'

  'You know don't you. You see ahead. That's your gift. Isn't it?'

  'Yes!' I said out loud. Oliver came and joined us. He took out some pack rations. Jared took the energy bar without complaint. Oliver made me eat one too even though I didn't feel like it.

  'Come on Captain.' Oliver indicated a little depression in the rocky wall away from the entrances, and more to the point, away from the edge. We went and sat down with our backs to the wall and reassessed the situation.

  'There was no sign of Hanson?' Oliver asked us.

  'The next door cell was empty.' Jared took the water from me again, sipped and continued, 'It had no sign of anyone being in it recently.' he wiped his face with the back of his hand struggling to maintain some control. I took back the canister. Jared sat then hunched up with his arms wrapped around his knees and his face hidden.

  We all waited for a while then, feeling the emptiness possess us. I wondered if this was the way it always went; if this was the last scene. But nature, and my youth and strength would not just wait until our doped up bodies shrivelled. I stood up then, and walked up and down scanning the rocky walls. Twenty feet above our position was what appeared to be a small ledge. There might have been a better climb beyond that, but it was impossible to see from here. Outcroppings of slippery unclimbable spurs were the main feature. But I was confident that without the weight of the pack I could get up there and see if there was a way out. I reasoned that that terrible man Alexander and his bunch of buddies wouldn't be bothered with possible niches and holes too small for most grown men to squeeze through... That's assuming any existed at all. While I still had more than ten hours of life in me I was going to do my damnedest to get us out of here. We knew where our Jules was, I guessed that Janey would head for the equipment stash; if she could find it. As for Hanson? Well... That really was a mystery. Why would he get out if he could not take Jules? I would have to hold that thought. Both Oliver and Jared scrambled to their feet. We all looked up. There was a mist descending high above our heads. I felt a tiny drop touch my cheek. Jared held up his hand.

  'Rain.'

  'Lots of rain.' agreed Oliver, and pocketed the keys he had got from the guard.

  I just stared upwards wondering how much time we had before the cliff we stood on would be awash.

  'How long...?'

  '...until we're down the plug hole?' Oliver interjected, 'About Ten minutes.'

  'Davey. Put your pack back on.' said Jared flatly.

  I did as I was told. We went to inspect the barred gates. The way out might be the way we came in. We weren't too keen on the other route. The bars looked exactly the same: steel, well built, with a massive bolt driven into the stonework. It was modern and a good solid design I thought. I often thought that my admiration of the detail of the scenery was a somewhat aberrant habitual quirk. However, on this occasion it proved fruitful. There were tiny scratches around the lock. Not really that odd if the gate was old. But this appeared to be recently installed. I showed the others. 'Do you think?' asked Jared with a wavering tone of hope.

  'I absolutely do think!' Oliver felt around in various pockets and pulled out a tiny case.

  I looked up again. The air above us was cloudy with moisture. Regular drops had started to fall, but were still not completely at the point where we could start getting worried. Oliver peered at the lock. ‘The question is,' he said feeling around with the fine metal point 'is whether this is the type that I'm used to dealing with or not?' then said:

  'It's not what you think.' when he saw me eyeing him speculatively, 'I was in the service of my country.' he left it to my imagination what that might entail.

  Jared went to the other gate. I followed him.

  'This is new. Just like the first gate. Shit, shit, shit!' he rattled the bars uselessly. And
now the "rain" had started to fall heavily.

  We went back to see how Oliver was doing. We could tell by the way he was muttering in Welsh that it was not going well.

  'Do you realise,' he said to us in strongly accented English, 'I am not pleased.'

  The ground all around was soaked and starting to get muddy. Rivulets ran down the rocky wall in front of me and Jared.

  'This is it.' I said 'And to think: I always thought I'd drown in the bath.'

  'You must have been...no, you still are a queer sort of kid!' Oliver pulled the fine tool out as he spoke, 'I don't think I can do it; even if we had more time.'

  'What about the other one?' Jared had to shout as the rain turned to a torrential downpour. I noticed a swirling pool of water around the dead soldier. We waded to the other gate and clung on. Oliver tried to work the tumblers in the lock, but in a few more minutes our predicament became too much even for his patient ability to not panic.

  'How long shall we hang on for?' Oliver asked Jared.

  I looked to him as well. Then I saw in him a calm descend. He was still again. He tilted his head and looked up once more.

  'As long as we can,' he said as the water spurted out over us in a curling sheet. We pressed into the bars to have air to breathe.

  Oliver winked at me, 'Alright there Milly?'

  'Yea Oliver. You are definitely my favourite Welshman.'

  'I'm glad of that.' He grinned at me one last time.

  I turned to Jared, 'Does it hurt?' I asked.

  'No.' he gripped my shoulder, as the water swirled around my waist.

  'It's been an honour to know you.' I said.

  'The honour was mine too.' he smiled easily.

  'Is Janey your sister?' His eyes were warmly kind just like hers. And he smiled sort of the same way that she used to.

  Jared laughed then: 'Yes! Yes she is! In fact we are...' He coughed and spluttered, 'we are....'

  'What Jared?' I was coughing too and shaking water out of my eyes. The torrent was lifting us off our feet. We were lifted hand over hand up the bars, and still holding on. Nothing more to be said. I had to keep my mouth shut just to breathe through my nose.