by RR Haywood
‘Echo.’ Alpha darts out, but the incoming fire drives him back.
‘Go,’ Echo whispers, blood coming from his mouth. ‘GO!’
‘I’m so sorry, Ian . . .’
They lock eyes for a fleeting second before Echo snarls. ‘I’M A FUCKING JEW,’ he screams in German, sitting up to fire back at the soldiers, killing three. ‘HEAR THAT? A JEW IS KILLING YOU . . .’
Alpha doesn’t flinch when Echo’s head snaps back from the bullet going through his skull. He just stares for a brief second, grabs Kate’s hand and runs. Dog-legging the pursuit and taking hard lefts and rights. Down alleys and smoke-filled side streets. Through ruined buildings showing obvious threat of collapse. His knowledge and instincts of escape and evasion are perfect, even showing the presence of mind when passing other people to tell them the Russians are coming. That word spreads like wildfire, forcing people out into the streets to run and scream and create more confusion for the chasing soldiers.
He stops to let Kate draw air, wiping the sweat from her brow and looking barely out of breath. He finds water, kicking in a back door after seeing a sink inside and twisting the tap to find it still working. He lets her drink first, protecting her while she does so. He takes his turn, gulping it down, then finds a clean cloth in a drawer that he soaks and uses to wipe her flushed face. He doesn’t panic. He is the opposite of panic. He goes further into the building, leading her past the base of the stairs, now filled with a collapsed ceiling and the contents of the upstairs rooms.
An old winter coat is on the back of the front door. Big, heavy and warm. She might be hot and sweating now, but it’s still February in northern Europe. He wraps it round her shoulders, then plucks a scarf from the hooks and drapes it over her head, securing the ends.
‘Bend forward,’ he whispers. ‘Bit more . . .’ He pushes her arse out and her shoulders down, making her adopt the stance and gait of an old woman. ‘Good. Stay like that . . .’ He ditches his overcoat and grabs a faded, worn checked thing that he tugs on and an old hat, changing their profile and appearance.
‘Can’t we stay here?’ she asks, knowing the answer, but choosing to stay in role. He’s good. She knows that and she still needs to find Maggie Sanderson and staying alive will be a whole lot easier with Alpha than on her own.
‘It’ll come down any second,’ he says, turning to look at the already partially collapsed roof on the stairs. ‘We’ll go slow. We’re old . . . Remember we had legends before? I’m old Otto, you’re my nagging wife, okay?’
In the street, they hold their legends true and shuffle on slowly. A bent old woman arm in arm with her husband.
‘FIND THEM . . .’ An officer runs past, leading a unit of soldiers.
Alpha and Kate enter a long street of heavily damaged buildings on both sides. Burnt-out vehicles here and there. Alpha clings to the right, scrutinising every building they pass until he spots it. A trapdoor to a cellar. The structure above looks stable, with most of the walls already down and those that might fall won’t land on the trapdoor. It’s the best they’ll find. He looks round, checking the view before leading Kate in, helping his elderly wife up and over the rubble to slip and slide down into the depths of the destruction.
He pulls the door open and peers in, half-expecting to see refugees already taking cover, but it looks dark and empty.
They descend a flight of wooden stairs, descending into a near darkness that’s warmer and quieter than the world outside.
He takes a small flashlight from his pocket with a bitter flash of memory at Echo and a surge of regret at not moving sooner to prevent all of this from happening.
‘It’ll do,’ he says quietly, standing in front of her, his hands reaching out to push the scarf from her head. ‘I’m so sorry this has—’
He doesn’t get to finish the sentence as her mouth pushes into his with a raw hunger rushing through her. He freezes at her touch, instantly appalled at the thought of sex right now, but that fades in a heartbeat. A near-death experience will wake the thirst for life in many people. Adrenaline, fight or flight, the instincts to survive and procreate, the inner animal within the human that pushes out when the finer nuances of living are stripped away. His own hunger comes on. His hunger for her, to be with her, to taste and feel her, and in the dry darkness they fall into dusty old sheets and blankets with a yearning need pulsing through them both.
Thirty-Two
Hard lefts and hard rights. Through ruined buildings. Down a street with one side entirely engulfed in flame. With the air-raid sirens still sounding and the bombers overhead still dropping payloads, with the air full of the AA guns they run and run to keep up. Charlie and Delta staying side by side with Harry and Maggie’s team continually glimpsed in the distance.
‘There,’ Delta says in German, pointing down a side street just in time to see Harry disappearing round the next corner. They set off again, running hard. Their combat black tactical clothes now covered in grey dust, their faces as grimy and marked as everyone else trying to survive the air raid.
They reach the junction, turning into a wide road once full of grand buildings, but now eerily silent with skeletal columns and walls standing erect within the hills of bricks and torn-down structures. A trick of the landscape and just by turning the corner the noise behind them lessens significantly, plunging them into an almost dystopian landscape where the city is crumbling and where no life lives.
‘Where’d they go?’ Charlie asks, breathing hard from the running.
‘Didn’t see,’ Delta says. They jog on into the street, glimpsing staircases lying in the ruins and rubble. Bathtubs, furniture, pots and pans, the things people had in life now left to rot. They can see this area is not safe and the towering columns and walls around them might come down any second. The vibrations from a stray bomb hitting anywhere near here could do it. That’s why it’s deserted. It needs demolishing to be made safe.
‘Where the hell did they go?’ Charlie asks again.
A scuff behind them. They spin quickly as Delta flies off his feet from the punch given by Harry as Safa slams into Charlie, taking him down to land hard on his back with a pistol jabbed into his cheek. Delta lands hard too, grunting in pain and thinking to rise quickly as Ben drives him back down pushing a gun into his chest.
‘No threat,’ Charlie says urgently, holding his hands away from his body.
‘Disarm them,’ Miri orders. ‘Check for secondary weapons.’
‘Tac knives only,’ Charlie says. ‘No threat, no threat . . .’
‘Clear,’ Safa reports, taking Charlie’s knife away.
‘Done,’ Harry reports, doing the same.
‘What happened?’ Miri asks them calmly.
‘Our portal went off,’ Charlie says quickly, lying on his back with his hands out to the side. ‘Kate – she’s the historian – she got away and said Mother was killing everyone . . .’
‘Did you witness this attack?’ Miri asks.
‘No, but shots were coming through the portal, then she chucked a grenade in,’ Delta says.
‘You saw the grenade?’ Miri asks.
‘Affirmative,’ Charlie answers while Delta nods.
Miri thinks for a second, glancing round at the deserted street. ‘Why are you following us?’
A look between the agents, then both glance at Emily.
‘I will shoot you now,’ Miri says, aiming her gun at Charlie. ‘Report!’
‘No! Switch sides,’ Charlie blurts.
‘We want out,’ Delta says at the same time.
‘We don’t believe her,’ Charlie says, rushing the words out. ‘Mother said you killed everyone. We don’t buy it . . . Same with you killing the PM . . . We dropped that nuke, but . . . she’s fucking nuts. She’s getting ready for something bigger.’
‘Extinction level event,’ Delta says, taking over. ‘Modern nukes and anthrax . . . Mother’s lost the plot. Me and Charlie agreed days ago we wanted out.’
‘We did,’ Charlie says.
‘You dropped a nuclear bomb on London,’ Ben says.
‘You don’t know what it’s like . . .’ Charlie says. ‘We can’t say no to Mother and we didn’t know what Alpha or Bravo thought . . .’
‘We couldn’t ask them – it’s not like that,’ Delta says.
‘Your agents are making this a habit, Tango Two,’ Miri says.
‘Er, they’re not my bloody agents and I was captured before I switched sides.’
‘We’re captured!’ Charlie cuts in hopefully.
‘Totally captured,’ Delta says. ‘Like really captured . . .’
‘Emily,’ Charlie says. ‘You worked with Delta in China.’
‘And?’ Emily asks.
‘We’re not bad people,’ Delta says. ‘Tell Maggie we’re good . . . We’re good agents . . .’
‘She’s called Miri now,’ Emily tells them. ‘And, trust me, nobody tells her anything.’
‘Permission to speak, ma’am,’ Harry says.
‘Go.’
‘Saw that one when we were running,’ he says, pointing at Charlie. ‘Aimed at me, had the drop, but didn’t fire, and his mate’ – he points to Delta – ‘got alongside, but didn’t shoot either . . .’
‘Understood. Cut ’em loose. Boys, you’re on your own . . .’
‘Ah, shit no,’ Charlie says with a grimace. ‘Don’t cut us loose . . .’
‘We want to switch sides,’ Delta says.
‘We’re not a bloody country,’ Safa says. ‘You can’t just defect to us . . . Is defect the right word, Ben?’
‘It is,’ Ben says.
‘I’m clever,’ Safa says. ‘Now fuck off before I shoot you in the face.’
‘Please,’ Delta says. ‘Not going back . . . No fucking way am I going back.’
‘Piss off and live in Germany then,’ Safa says.
‘Hold us prisoner until you reset the changes,’ Charlie says.
‘Jesus, your agency is crap, Emily,’ Safa says. ‘You’ve got the least loyal people ever.’
‘We need to get off the street,’ Harry says. ‘Sirens have stopped . . .’ He looks up to a clear sky as the AA guns finally cease booming in the distance. Vehicle engines nearby. The heavy chug of diesel trucks, then deep male voices shouting orders in German.
Miri thinks fast, with every instinct telling her Charlie and Delta meant what they just said. There wasn’t a hint of dishonesty within them and it matches what Alpha said too and the chance of two more highly trained agents switching sides is a big thing. The precedent set by Emily tells her these men, her team, are good people doing the right thing. She looks at Ben, seeing the tiny nod. A look to Harry, but he stays impassive. He’s said his thoughts and that’s that.
‘Take them with us, but say a word or even glance in a way I don’t like and I will slit your throats, gentlemen . . .’
‘Roger that,’ Charlie says.
‘S’bit harsh, but fair enough,’ Delta says.
Miri had stopped her team here on seeing the staircase going down into a basement and just as Alpha did with Kate, she leads them down into a gloomy darkness with Harry and Safa keeping their guns pressed into Charlie and Delta’s backs.
‘Torch in my pocket,’ Charlie whispers.
A quick scout round to see empty shelves and anything usable already gone. No food, no drink, but it’s hidden from view and quiet.
‘Hunker down and rest,’ Miri orders. ‘Mr Ryder. We’ll talk in a moment.’
‘It’s fine,’ Safa says. ‘Whatever we do will be fine. Know how I know? Because we haven’t appeared to get us out the shit yet, which means we don’t get in the shit enough to need us to come back and save us . . .’
‘Or we all die here so we can’t come back and save us,’ Emily says after a brief silence of everyone trying to work out what Safa just said.
Safa nods. ‘Good point.’
‘When is the agents’ next visit to Bundesstraβe 2?’ Emily asks.
‘Tomorrow afternoon,’ Charlie says, making everyone look at him. ‘Last one before we take the bomb to the airfield but, er’ – he pauses to swallow – ‘the street wasn’t that damaged when we came through on the fourth visit . . . I mean not so bomb damaged as it is now.’
‘Will it stop you visiting Herr Weber?’ Ben asks.
‘I don’t think so,’ Charlie says, sharing a look with Delta, who shrugs and shakes his head.
‘Confuses the hell out of me,’ Delta mumbles.
‘Not the only one,’ Safa says.
Ben stays silent, frowning as he stares down at the dusty ground.
‘What are you doing this for?’ Delta asks, looking round at them.
‘You’ll not be asking questions now . . .’
‘It’s fine, Sergeant,’ Miri says. ‘They can know.’
Ben looks at her sharply as Safa speaks out. ‘Basically, the world ends in twenty-one eleven. Inventor made the device, went forward and saw the world was ruined, panicked, extracted his dead dad, who first extracted two of his former employees, then extracted Ben, Harry and me, then Miri came on board and took over at the point Mother tracked us to the staging area in Berlin . . . That about right?’ she asks, glancing round. ‘I mean loads of other stuff happened, but . . .’
‘Oh, and we had a night out in Rio, then in Paris,’ Emily says, leaning over to rub Harry’s arm. ‘Isn’t that right, dear?’ she asks sweetly, smiling with too many teeth.
‘Ach, don’t start that again,’ he rumbles.
‘Idiots,’ Safa snorts.
‘Christ,’ Charlie says. ‘That’s it?’
‘Pretty much,’ Safa says. ‘We reacted to you lot at Cavendish Manor, then threatened all the governments so they wouldn’t chuck nukes at each other . . .’
‘So . . .’ Delta says slowly. ‘You didn’t kill everyone in the complex and the PM then? What?’ he asks when everyone glares at him. ‘Was only asking.’
‘How does the world end?’ Charlie asks quickly, covering for the crass remark by his colleague.
‘I don’t think we ever worked that out, did we?’ Emily asks.
‘Seems fine now though,’ Safa adds.
‘You’ve seen it?’ Charlie asks. ‘What’s it like?’
‘Nice, actually. Bit weird and the coffee tastes like shit and everyone eats insects,’ Safa says. ‘But Piccadilly’s gone from the massive nuclear bomb you dropped, of course.’
‘And men have boobs,’ Emily adds.
‘And kids have tattoos,’ Safa says.
‘And they’ve got anti-grav tech,’ Konrad says, joining in as the whispered chat goes on.
Ben listens intently, drawn from his thoughts about the problem to the surreal situation now of these people talking so casually, but then everyone here is used to combat and times of great stress so this is nothing new to them. This now is just downtime between whatever else they have to do and it’s right then, at that point, that he snatches a glimpse of the world through Miri’s eyes and sees the true genius of the woman. That even now she is cool and calm enough to manipulate and bend everyone else to her will. She appears gruff, angry and mean and has distanced herself from the others slightly as though to imbue the division between officers and soldiers, and by allowing Safa and Emily to chat normally she is humanising them and giving a positive reflection to the two captured agents. Exactly the same thing she did to Emily but compressed and done quicker. He looks up at her, seeing her face mostly hidden by shadow, but her eyes glint as she views the world around her. She detects his gaze and looks over. A nod from him to her, from the protégé to the master.
‘I’m glad I’m on your side,’ he says and in the darkness of the basement he sees her teeth as she gives a rare smile.
‘So, what’s your base like?’ Safa asks the two men.
‘The complex?’ Charlie asks. ‘It’s purpose built so it is good but we’ve been there for too long . . .’
‘Understatement,’ Delta mumbles, earning a look from Charlie.
�
��But, er, yeah, I mean, we’ve got a medical centre, gym . . . swimming pods,’ Charlie continues. ‘Canteen is good . . .’
‘I’ll stay here in Berlin . . . Really not going back.’
‘What’s up with you?’ Charlie asks as Delta mutters on.
‘Just saying I’m not going back.’
‘What the fuck?’ Charlie says. ‘Stop saying you’re not going back . . .’
‘I’m not going back.’
‘Why not?’
‘Just not,’ Delta mumbles, looking away. ‘Hanna found out I slept with Coreen . . .’
‘Coreen?’ Charlie asks. ‘From IT?’
‘Yeah, her, and Lena.’
‘You slept with Lena?’
‘Yes, and Petra . . . and Agnes and . . . some others. Point is they said they’re going to cut my dick off.’ Silence. Everyone listening while Delta shifts uncomfortably. ‘I’m not going back,’ he tells them all.
‘Sounds like you deserve your dick being cut off,’ Safa says.
‘I hate it when men seduce women like that . . .’ Emily says pointedly.
‘Mr Ryder?’ Miri cuts in. ‘Word please. We’ll go up . . . Stay focussed and watch the prisoners.’
‘Dirty prisoners more like,’ Emily says.
‘Him, not me,’ Charlie says, pointing at Delta.
Miri leads the way, moving slowly up the staircase to stare out into the rapidly dwindling light. Early evening in winter in northern Europe where the nights come early. Ben joins her, both of them standing still for long minutes to listen.
Engines in the distance. Deep and heavy that speak of military vehicles. The odd shout and the rumble of buildings falling. The smell of smoke and chemicals hang in the air with wafts of smoke pluming up into the darkening sky.
Nothing close though. Nothing moving near them, but Miri holds them for minutes longer until their eyes are fully adjusted to this light now and only then does she move him out and away from the staircase to hunker down in the shadows.