Knightfall - Book 1 of The Chronicle of Benjamin Knight

by Robert Jackson-Lawrence

  “That one,” the first man said, pointing at Ben. “Leave the others.”

  The second man pulled Ben towards the door whilst the others looked on, confused.

  “No, get your hands off me,” Ben shouted as he struggled to get free. As bullets peppered the doorframe, he was able to wrench himself from his attacker and step back with the others.

  “Who are these guys?” Carl asked, struggling to make sense of the situation.

  “No idea,” Ben replied, eyeing the two soldiers warily.

  “Orders of the Regent,” the first man said. “You're taking us to the laboratory, now.”

  “No way,” Ben said, standing behind Carl and Matthew.

  “We're leaving,” the first man said as the second reached again for Ben. Matthew kicked him just above his knee, dropping him to the floor.

  “Kill the others,” the first man said, raising his gun as the second man got to his feet.

  “No, wait, stop!” Ben shouted, stepping forwards. “If you hurt them, any of them, I won't take you anywhere. You've got to get us out of here.”

  “No,” was all the first man said, stepping to the doorway and firing a short burst down the corridor.

  “That's the deal,” Matthew said, stepping in front of Ben.

  As another burst of gunfire hit the doorframe, the second soldier said, “Commander, we need to move.”

  “Fine,” the commander replied. “Keep that one alive; the others, I don't care.”

  Dragging Ben with them, the two soldiers ran in a crouch back down the corridor, the others following closely behind. Matthew continued to struggle with the bonds that Carl had loosened, but his hands were still far from free.

  They rounded a corner to find a third soldier, holding off Bosen's men, the corridor lined with bodies. “Cole and Johnson are down, Commander,” he said, letting off another burst from his rifle.

  “Hold this position,” the Commander replied. “Two minutes, then blow this place as you leave.”

  “Yes, Commander,” he replied as the commander sped on, the others following.

  Around another corner and through a damaged wall and they were back in the fresh air, sprinting across an open stretch of ground and over the road beyond. The Commander skidded to a stop behind a wall, the second soldier pulling Ben along with him as another loud explosion lit up the night sky.

  They waited, panting, watching the damaged building, but no one followed. Flames slowly took hold as smoke billowed into the night, the sounds of walls and ceilings collapsing reaching their ears.

  After another minute, the commander pulled Ben to his feet. “Now it's your turn,” he said, directing Ben back towards the road. “Take us to this damned laboratory.”

  Still bound, they set off, Ben in the lead with Carl and Matthew, followed by Arian and Safran as Mike supported Joe. The two soldiers took up the rear, fingers never far from their triggers as they began their slow ascent up the mountain towards the laboratory.

  IX

  The journey up the mountain road was slow and arduous. The rain had started again, a fine mist that soaked them to the skin, sapping their heat and their strength.

  The soldiers said very little except to stop the others talking and to order them to move faster. After almost three hours, Joe collapsed, unable to get back up. He had been struggling for the last half mile, already weakened from the bullet wound, but he could go no further.

  The commander called a halt as the second soldier helped Joe into a sitting position, sharing some water with him from his pack.

  “How far?” the commander asked Ben, looking up towards the summit.

  “I'm not sure,” Ben replied. “We're about halfway. I suppose another few hours?”

  The commander nodded. “Then you have ten minutes to regain your strength before we move out,” he told them. “If anyone stops us again, I'll leave them bleeding where they fall.”

  Ben understood the threat and moved to the barricade at the side of the road, resting against it. Matthew edged up beside him as the commander returned to check on the other soldier.

  “I'm almost free of these bonds,” Matthew whispered, looking away from Ben as he spoke. “And they seem to listen to you without threatening to shoot straight away. If you can distract them, I might be able to do something. I'll give you a signal when I'm ready.”

  Ben said nothing as Matthew strolled away, making an exaggerated show of loosening the tight muscles in his legs.

  Carl joined the two soldiers as they helped Joe to his feet. “How's he doing?” Carl asked, a concerned look on his face.

  “I don't care,” the commander replied.

  “I'm good, Carl, I'm okay,” Joe said weakly. “I'll make it.” He took a few uneasy steps before finding his stride.

  “So tell me,” Carl continued, giving Matthew time to speak to Ben. “How long have you been following us?”

  “What difference does it make?” the commander replied.

  “None, I guess, I'm just curious,” Carl continued.

  “We've been on you since your release from the dungeons,” the commander informed him.

  “I thought as much.” Carl nodded. “I knew the escape was way too easy.”

  “Good for you,” the commander said sarcastically. “Now get moving; there's still a lot of ground to cover.”

  “Sure thing, boss,” Carl said, joining Matthew and Ben at the head of the group.

  They continued their steady march in silence, heads held low, shivering with every step. Somewhere near the summit, Ben led them away from the main road and onto a dirt track, now muddy from the snow and rain. Eyeing the apparent dead end, the commander called them to a halt.

  “No tricks now,” he said, scrutinising the area around them. “I was told that I'm looking for a building or door of some kind.”

  “It is, and I suppose it's kind of a trick. Look, just follow me,” Ben said, leading them forwards. The two soldiers held back, weapons raised and ready.

  There was a rumble underfoot and they stood in awe as the illusion of the mountainside changed, the huge rock door sliding into the ground ahead of them. Within a minute, the mountainside was buried and the grandeur of the natural cavern was exposed, vehicles and all. Carl gave Ben a surprised look, part of him always having wondered if Ben really was just crazy.

  “After you,” Ben said, directing them inside.

  “Wait,” the commander ordered. “Clarke, you go in first and check it out. Signal me the all clear and then we'll join you.”

  “Yes, sir,” the second soldier said, cautiously entering the cavern. Between the midday sun and overhead lights, the cavern was well lit, but Clarke took his time, searching in and around each of the vehicles, checking behind rocky outcrops. Once he was happy that there was no one else there, he gave three short whistles and the commander directed the rest of them inside.

  “Where now?” the commander asked, taking in all of the strange things around him.

  “This way,” Ben replied, heading towards the lift.

  There was another rumble and the commander spun around, aiming his rifle at the slowly rising door. “It's automatic,” Ben called back as the others followed behind him.

  Ben stood before the open lift door. “We have to go down there,” he said, directing the soldiers towards the open lift shaft. They both peered down into the darkness, eyeing the ladder.

  “There must be another way?” the commander asked.

  “No, there isn't. If you'll just untie us, we can all climb down,” Ben replied.

  “Not a chance,” the commander informed him. “Clarke will go whilst I keep an eye on you here. Once this place is secure, our mission is over and we're back to the Regent.”

  “Okay,” Ben replied. “I suppose he'll be able to override the main door controls so you can get in and out. It's simple really, just a root hack.”

  The commander eyed him suspiciously. “I'm not about to let you down there,” he said. “You do it here or we
all leave now and return with a larger force. Your call?”

  “Okay,” Ben said, leading them along. “I might be able to call the lift or something so we can all go. Pass me the tablet over there, by the door.”

  “Tablet?” Clarke asked.

  “The shiny black rectangle, with the glass. It's right there,” Ben said, pointing with his foot.

  Clarke picked it up and returned it to the commander.

  “What now?” the commander asked, turning it over in his hands.

  “Turn it on, the button on the side, there,” Ben replied.

  The tablet hummed to life, its screen flashing as a variety of icons and charts appeared. The commander and Clarke looked at each other, clearly impressed.

  “That's it,” Ben continued, looking down at the screen. “Navigate through to the root menu, integrate through the primary hub, and relay it back out through the mainframe.”

  Ben smiled towards the commander. What he had just told them made no sense, but there was no way that they could know that.

  “Untie him,” the commander ordered, “but I want you to show me every step. If I even think that you're messing with me, your friends die.”

  “Got it,” Ben said, working the circulation back into his arms.

  The commander and Clarke stood over him, paying careful attention to everything that he pressed on the screen. Ben chanced a brief glance towards Matthew, which was met with an almost imperceptible nod.

  “This icon here,” Ben said, pulling the soldiers’ gaze, “takes me into the mainframe root menu. Here, see? Move that through to there, override code, trick it into thinking, yes, that's it. Press here and we're done, okay?”

  The commander leant over and pressed the icon Ben was indicating and suddenly the cavern was plunged into darkness.

  There was the sensation of movement followed by a sickening snap. Further movement to Ben's left knocked him off his feet and was followed by the sound of fighting. After five seconds, the lights flicked back on.

  Clarke was at Ben's feet, neck bent at an impossible angle. Matthew had the commander pinned to the floor, slowly choking the life out of him. “Untie the others,” Matthew said breathlessly.

  Ben left the tablet on the floor and hurried to his feet, untying the others in turn. Before long, the commander stopped struggling and Matthew came over to join them, tucking the commander’s pistol into the waistband of his trousers.

  “Nice job there, Ben, I owe you,” Matthew said, moving to Arian and checking her over.

  “No, it was you; you saved us,” Ben replied.

  “Well, as long as everyone's okay,” Matthew continued. There was a general murmuring and even Joe looked better for being free of his bonds.

  “I was thinking we should take the Land Rovers,” Ben said, indicating the two large cars, “they're four-wheel drive; should be able to manage pretty much anything in our way.”

  “And they're just like driving the Road Trains?” Carl asked, peering through the window.

  Ben moved him aside and opened the driver’s side door. “I guess, well, sort of,” he said, checking over the interior. “And this one’s an automatic anyway; shouldn't be a problem.”

  “What next, then?” Matthew said, taking charge once he was happy that everyone was safe.

  “We really do need to go down the ladder,” Ben replied. “There are supplies and weapons down there that we can take.”

  “Then lead the way,” Matthew said.

  Ben went first down the ladder, tablet tucked into the back of his trousers as before, and called up to the others once he was standing safely in the lift. Carl went next, followed by Arian and Safran.

  “I'll stay here,” Joe said to Matthew, peering down the lift shaft. “With my shoulder, there's no way I'll make that climb.”

  “And I'll keep him company,” Mike added. “Me and tight dark spaces like that, no way.”

  Matthew agreed and followed the others deeper into the laboratory.

  As he climbed through the hatch into the lift, he found the others taking it all in, amazed at the damaged corridor lit by overhead lights. Ben had a pang of grief as he saw the bullet holes again, peppering the Excelsior logo next to the security desk. He had never learned what had happened to everyone else from the laboratory. It was as if the lab and everything inside it had been dragged to this other world, even the town of Garstang as different as it was, but none of the people. He didn't think that he would ever be able to make sense of it all.

  “The stores are this way, armoury too,” he said to the others, a melancholy tone to his voice.

  “I'm not sure if I said it already, but thank you,” Matthew said. “How are you holding up?”

  “I didn't think that I'd ever be back here,” Ben replied. “It's where it all started, for me at least. We were supposed to be building something amazing. Now it's just full of bad memories.”

  “Then let's get what we need and get out of here,” Matthew said.

  Ben led them down through the stairwell into the habitat level. The stores were through the kitchen, shelves piled high with tins and packets of every description. “Gather enough for a week’s journey,” Matthew said to Carl and Safran, inspecting the goods.

  “And chocolate, bring some chocolate,” Ben added, pointing to a box behind Carl's head.

  Chocolate was a new one to Carl, but he shrugged his shoulders and added it to the growing pile.

  The armoury was at the far end of the corridor, past all of the residences used by the scientists.

  “It'll be locked,” Ben said, showing them the way, “but that shouldn't be a problem. It's not like anyone is around to stop us.”

  Two shots from the commander’s pistol and the lock was destroyed, the door swinging open on a treasure trove of equipment. Matthew stood, amazed, unsure what to pick up first.

  “Grab those bags,” he said, directing Arian, “and let's start loading up.”

  The first bag was filled with weapons: six assault rifles, two shotguns, and a variety of pistols, along with box after box of ammunition.

  “What next?” he asked Ben after dragging the bag into the corridor.

  “Take these,” Ben said, adding a selection of torches and spare batteries to the second bag, “and check these out.”

  Ben handed Matthew a pair of binoculars after putting them up to his own eyes. “Night vision,” he said. “Let you see in the dark.” Matthew added them to the bag along with a second pair.

  “Have you any idea how much this is worth?” he asked Ben, clearly amazed. “It's too late though, now. Arian, please take that bag along to the storeroom and help Carl get it all together.”

  Arian left Matthew and Ben to drag the overstuffed bags back along the corridor, a long length of paracord over Matthew’s shoulder to help get them up the lift shaft.

  “Here, let me,” Carl said as he saw Ben struggling, lifting the bag almost effortlessly onto his shoulder.

  “Thanks,” Ben said, catching his breath.

  Before long, they were standing before the broken lift, Matthew adjusting the paracord to allow him to climb the ladder. “I'll go first,” he said. “Carl, you'll need to attach the bags once I lower the rope. Make sure it's good and tight, then Mike and I can pull them up.”

  With the plan decided, Matthew ascended into the darkness.

  “That's far enough,” Mike said as Matthew climbed back out into the cavern. He was leant against the Land Rover, the commander’s rifle pointed directly at Matthew’s chest. Joe was face down on the ground, a growing pool of blood beneath him.

  “Mike, no, what happened?” Matthew said, raising his arms in surrender.

  “I really wish you hadn't killed the soldiers,” Mike continued. “I didn't want to have to kill you. We could've just taken Ben and left, now that we know where this place is.”

  “Mike, why?” Matthew asked, pleadingly, confused by the sudden turn of events. “You've been with me for years, back when my father was still al
ive. You're like family.”

  “Family?” Mike scoffed. “No, those guys down there, even Ben, you treat them like family. Me, Joe, we're just muscle, always will be. Carry this, guard that. At some point I take a bullet, watching someone else's money, and for what? What do I get for it? Buried by the side of the Great Road, forgotten as soon as you move on. You telling me that's how you treat family?”

  “You came to my house on the feast day, Mike,” Matthew reminded him. “I've never thought of you like that. Where is all this coming from?”

  “No, no more talking,” Mike said. “I'm taking Ben out of here. Call him up.”

  “You know I can't do that,” Matthew said, taking a cautious step towards him.

  “See this gun here? I'm not asking!” Mike yelled, tucking it into his shoulder and aiming it at Matthew’s face.

  With Mike focussing so intently on Matthew, he had failed to see Joe edge himself closer to the Land Rover. Reaching up, he pulled on Mikes trouser’s, distracting him. It was all the time Matthew needed.

  Lunging forward, he grasped the rifle, pointing it away as it fired. The two men fought and struggled, trying to get the upper hand. Mike was bigger and stronger, but Matthew had the training and skills to overcome him. The rifle fired twice more before Mike stopped struggling and became limp. Matthew eased him to the floor, blood oozing from his chest.

  Carl was suddenly leaning over the edge of the lift shaft, new pistol in his hand, surveying the carnage. “You okay, boss?” he asked, pulling himself the rest of the way up.

  “Check Joe,” Matthew said, checking Mike's neck for a pulse. Carl did the same with Joe, shaking his head.

  “He's dead,” Carl said, closing Joe's eyes.

  “Same here,” Matthew replied.

  Matthew shouted down to the others, reassuring them that everything was okay before helping Carl move the bodies. Before long, they had managed to pull up the three heavy bags, Safran demonstrating her skill with knots.

  “What happened?” Arian asked once everyone was safely back in the cavern.

  “Honestly?” Matthew replied. “I don't know, I don't know anything anymore.” Arian kissed him and held him close.