Darkest Night

by Will Hill

  “Do you ever think about after?” he said, eventually.

  Kate picked up her second bottle. “After what?”

  Jamie looked around the mess. “This,” he said. “After all this. Assuming we win, and that we don’t die in the process, do you ever think about what you’ll do afterwards?”

  Kate smiled. “You’re assuming I don’t see myself as career Operator.”

  “I am.”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “I’ve never really thought about it.”

  “Bullshit,” said Jamie. “I don’t believe that for a second.”

  “Fine,” said Kate, and set her bottle down on the table. “Go to university. Spend time with my dad. Try and be normal for a while. How does that sound?”

  “It sounds good.”

  “What about you?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “Bullshit.”

  Jamie smiled. “That’s fair,” he said. “To be honest, a lot would depend on my mum. Away from here, if we were out in the world, I’d be pretty much all she had. The only person who knew she was a vampire, at least, and who could understand what that’s like. I think she’d want to go somewhere where nobody knew her, and I don’t think I could let her go on her own.”

  “Like where?” asked Kate.

  He shrugged. “She always loved Italy when I was growing up. Maybe there. I don’t know.”

  “Do you think you’d look for your dad?”

  “No.”

  “Just no?” said Kate. “You wouldn’t even think about it?”

  “No.”

  “What if your mum wanted to see him?”

  “That would be up to her,” said Jamie. “I wouldn’t have to be part of it.”

  “Have you told her yet?” she asked.

  Jamie felt sudden heat behind his eyes. He tried to force it back down, to stop the red glow appearing, but the expression of shock on Kate’s face told him he had not been successful.

  “Sorry,” he said. “I’m really sorry. It’s involuntary.”

  “It just startled me,” she said. “It’s all right.”

  “No, it’s not,” said Jamie. “I know what it looks like. But it was because of my dad, not because of you. OK?”

  “I’m sorry too,” she said. “I shouldn’t have brought him up.”

  “It’s fine,” he said. “And to answer your question, no, I haven’t told her. If this all comes to an end, I will, and she can do whatever she wants. It won’t be any of my business. But I’m done with him, Kate. I told him so, and I meant it.”

  She nodded.

  “How about this?” he said, and raised his second empty bottle. “You think of something else to talk about while I get more drinks. Deal?”

  Kate smiled; her face was still paler than it had been a minute earlier, her eyes a fraction wider, but it was a start. “Deal,” she said.

  Jamie nodded and headed for the bar, silently cursing himself as he went. The red fire in his eyes was an involuntary reaction to certain stimuli: fear, excitement, anger, the presence of fresh blood, to name just a few. But he knew exactly what it looked like, as he had seen it for himself in the eyes of dozens of vampires; it looked like a display of aggression.

  It looked like a threat.

  “Four beers, please,” he said to the barman, and risked a glance over his shoulder. Thankfully, Kate wasn’t looking in his direction; she had drawn her console from her belt and her attention was fixed on its screen. He waited patiently for the barman to deliver the second round of drinks, then carried them back to their table. Kate looked up at him and smiled.

  “I’ve got a new subject,” she said.

  “Oh yeah?” he asked, settling back into his chair. “Let’s hear it.”

  “Our genius friend and his scarily beautiful Russian girlfriend.”

  Jamie grinned. “Excellent choice,” he said. “Let’s talk about Matt. When was the last time you even saw him?”

  “Maybe three days ago?” she said. “I ran into him in the corridor and managed to persuade him to talk to me for about a minute. What about you?”

  “Longer than that,” he said. “It must be more than a week. We message most days, although to be honest he hasn’t been answering for the last couple of days. I’d say he must be busy, but when is he ever not?”

  “Busy kissing Natalia’s face off, you mean?”

  Jamie’s grin widened. “How old are you, thirteen?”

  “Piss off,” said Kate, smiling mischievously. “I mean, seriously, why wouldn’t he be? She’s gorgeous, and smart, and nice, and she’s totally into him. I’d probably kiss her myself if the chance came along.”

  “Good to know,” said Jamie. “Honestly, I hope he is spending all his time with her. It would be a lot healthier than chaining himself to his desk.”

  “Agreed,” said Kate. “But we both know that won’t be what’s happening. They’re probably in the lab right now while we’re sat here drinking beer. It’s what they do.”

  “Probably,” said Jamie. “So you think it’s real? Matt and Natalia, I mean?”

  “I do,” said Kate, instantly. “I talked to her about him months ago, just before the bomb in my quarters. She was falling for him then, never mind now. And Matt, thank all the stars in the heavens, seems to have managed not to screw it up. So yeah, I think it’s real.”

  “I hope so,” said Jamie. “It would be good for at least one of us to have somebody. Especially if the world really is about to end.”

  Kate rolled her eyes. “What a cheerful thought,” she said. “The world has been about to end ever since you all got back from France, Jamie. It’s still here.”

  “For now,” he said. “Part of me just wishes Dracula would get on with it.”

  “Don’t say that.”

  “Why not?” he said. “We’d either win or we’d lose. At least we’d know. Or we’d be dead.”

  “Wow,” said Kate. “You’re really going for the angry nihilist thing these days, aren’t you?”

  Jamie stared intently at her for a long moment, then smiled. “Am I carrying it off?”

  “More or less,” said Kate. “I know you really are angry, and I know you feel like you’re alone, but you’re not. I’m still here, Jamie. So is Matt, and so are Ellison and Qiang, and Angela and Jack and Dominique and Paul and everyone else.”

  He didn’t respond; he merely stared at his friend.

  “Talk to me, Jamie,” she continued. “Talk to me about Larissa.”

  He shrugged. “There’s nothing to say.”

  “I don’t believe that. Not for a minute.”

  “It’s the truth,” said Jamie. “I wish she hadn’t gone, I miss her, and I wish she’d come back. That’s all there is to it.”

  “If you say so,” said Kate.

  “What about you?” he said. “Do you still miss Shaun?”

  Kate grimaced, but gave a brief nod. “Every day,” she said. “Being here makes it harder, to be honest. When people lose somebody out there, they grieve for as long as it takes and then they get to forget about them. I know that sounds bad, and I don’t mean they never think about the person again, but they forget enough to be able to carry on. I get reminded of Shaun every day. Every single day. I see his dad, or one of his friends, or I find myself somewhere we had a conversation. It’s like I’m not allowed to move on.”

  Jamie’s heart ached for his friend as she spoke, and he was momentarily furious with Shaun Turner for leaving her like this, trapped by his memory, unable to mourn him and let him go. But it wasn’t Shaun’s fault; he hadn’t asked to have his neck broken by Valeri Rusmanov, hadn’t done anything to deserve the fate that had befallen him apart from fight bravely against almost overwhelming odds.

  “I’m sorry,” said Jamie. He picked up his beer, found it empty, and took a long drink from his fourth bottle. “I don’t know what else to say. I’m really sorry, Kate.”

  “It’s not your fault,” she said, and gave him a fierce smile. “B
ut thank you for saying it.”

  “No worries,” he said. “I was going to ask you about your dad, but maybe we’ve spent enough time discussing friends and family?”

  Kate’s smile curdled into a frown. “Oh, on the contrary,” she said. “I’m happy to talk about him. I assume you read that stupid website interview?”

  “I read it,” said Jamie. “I take it you weren’t thrilled?”

  “That would be putting it very, very mildly,” said Kate, a slight edge to her voice. “I mean, I get that SSL is him trying to make a difference, and I suppose I’m proud of him for that, but I’ll never understand why he decided to tell the whole world that Matt and I work for the Department. Not only was it a crime, given that they both signed the Official Secrets Act, but it was just such a stupidly dangerous thing to do. If SSL hasn’t already made them targets to the people that hate anyone who seems like they’re on the side of the vamps, what do they think announcing that they’re related to serving Blacklight Operators is going to do? What happens when the next psycho with a grudge against the Department decides they can get to me and Matt by hurting our dads? And what if I can’t protect him if that happens? It’s ridiculous, Jamie. It’s absolutely ridiculous. I’m so angry with him.”

  Jamie leant forward. “That’s all fair,” he said. “Are Surveillance keeping an eye on him?”

  “Yes,” she said. The colour that had risen in her cheeks as she spoke was starting to recede. “There’s a standing watch on him and Greg. But watching is one thing. Dealing with anything that happens is something else.”

  “Right.”

  “Anyway,” said Kate, “I’m doing what I can from Security. I just have to trust the two of them not to get themselves into any trouble.”

  Jamie smiled. “How are you getting on with that?”

  Kate laughed. “Pretty badly,” she said. “I sometimes forget which one of us is the parent.”

  Jamie nodded, and drained his beer. His body felt pleasantly loose, his head warm and fuzzy.

  “God,” said Kate, holding her own empty bottle up to the light. “I’m going to regret this when my alarm goes off tomorrow, but I really don’t care right now. This has been nice, Jamie. I think I needed it.”

  “Me too,” said Jamie. “Although what I really need right now is to lie down.”

  “Good plan,” said Kate, and smiled at him. “Let’s call it a night.”

  Jamie got to his feet, and immediately realised that he was quite a bit drunker than he had thought; he felt unsteady on his feet, as though he was swaying gently from side to side. He looked at Kate and grinned; the expression on her face told him that she had made exactly the same discovery as him. She giggled as she noticed him staring at her, and shook her head.

  “This isn’t fair,” she said. “You can just sober up whenever you want. I’m stuck like this.”

  Jamie recoiled. “I can do what?”

  “Your vampire side sobers you up. Larissa found out in Las Vegas. Don’t you remember?”

  “Shit,” said Jamie. “That is seriously tempting. But you’re right, it wouldn’t be fair. I’ll suffer with you.”

  “Solidarity,” said Kate. “I respect that. Let’s get out of here.”

  Jamie followed her across the mess, concentrating hard on walking in a straight line. He nodded at Operators he knew as he passed their tables, forcing what he hoped was a sober-looking expression on to his face, and walked stiffly through the door. Kate was waiting for him in the corridor, her face red with suppressed laughter, and they cracked up as they staggered towards the lift, giggling and loudly shushing each other.

  The two Operators got out on Level B and made their way along the curved corridor that, under normal circumstances, housed much of the active roster. Several of the rooms were currently empty; their occupants had been lost during the battle with Dracula at Château Dauncy, and had not yet been replaced, despite the Department’s subsequent recruitment drive. The Loop, as a result, did not feel full; the corridors seemed too empty, the canteen too sparsely populated, like a physical reminder of the ultimate price that had been paid by so many.

  They stopped outside the door to Kate’s quarters. Jamie smiled at his friend, suddenly very aware of how close they were standing to one another. His hands were at his sides, but he would barely have to move them to take hold of her waist. Kate was looking back at him with an even, clear-eyed expression, but there were patches of delicate pink high on her cheeks. Silent seconds passed as they stared at each other, a tension between them that Jamie had never felt before.

  “Oh, for God’s sake,” said Kate. She placed her hands gently on his shoulders, and kissed him. He kissed her back urgently, his eyes closing, his hands sliding up her back and neck and finding her hair, waiting for his stomach to spin, for the same dizzying abandon he had felt whenever he kissed Larissa.

  Nothing happened.

  After a long, awkward moment, he gently broke the kiss. Kate was looking at him with an expression of great affection, but the colour had faded from her face, and he suspected she was trying not to laugh.

  “That didn’t really work, did it?” she said.

  “No,” said Jamie, grinning at her. “It didn’t. My mum will be so disappointed.”

  Kate laughed, and shook her head. “I love you, Jamie,” she said. “You’re my best friend.”

  “I love you too,” he said. “Get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Paul Turner was reading through a requisitions order from the Security Division for fifty new MP7s and fifteen thousand rounds of ammunition when somebody hammered on his door.

  He frowned, and pushed the form to one side. An unscheduled knock on his door was highly unusual; anyone who wanted to see him was required to send a message first, and a Security Operator was stationed outside his quarters for the express purpose of preventing people from turning up unannounced. Turner reached out and pressed the TALK button on the intercom that connected him to his protection detail.

  “Gregg?” he said. “Report in.”

  There was a burst of static, and then the Security Operator’s voice appeared; the young American sounded out of breath, as though he had just finished a long run.

  “I’m sorry, sir,” said Gregg. “They pushed past me, but I have the situation under control.”

  Turner’s frown deepened. “Who pushed past you?”

  “Karlsson and Browning, sir,” said Gregg. “I told them you weren’t available, but they wouldn’t take no for an answer, and Browning jumped me from behind, the little shit. I’m waiting for Security to come and collect them, sir.”

  “For pity’s sake, Operator,” said Turner, getting up from his desk and walking across the room. “Your enthusiasm is admirable, but do you really think that arresting two senior members of the Lazarus Project is in the best interests of this Department?”

  There was a long pause. “I don’t know, sir,” said Gregg, eventually. “It was a clear breach of protocol.”

  Turner rolled his eyes. “Call off your alert and go back to your post, Operator. I’ll see Karlsson and Browning now.”

  “Yes, sir,” said Gregg, instantly. “I’m sorry, sir.”

  “It’s fine,” said Turner, and pressed his ID card against the black panel beside the door. The heavy locks disengaged, and he pulled the thick metal hatch inwards to reveal Matt Browning and Robert Karlsson standing in the corridor outside. Both looked dishevelled, and Browning was bright red in the face. Beyond them, he could see Tom Gregg peering along the corridor, a nervous look on his face.

  “Gentlemen,” said Turner, “Operator Gregg was right, this is a breach of protocol. You couldn’t have sent a message telling me you needed to see me?”

  Karlsson shook his head. “I didn’t want to run the risk of anyone reading it, sir.”

  Turner smiled. “You’ve been here less than a year and you’re more paranoid than me. I suppose you’d better come in.”

  “Thank you, Director,” said Ka
rlsson, and stepped into the room. Browning followed him, casting one last dagger-eyed stare in Gregg’s direction. Turner closed the door behind them and gestured towards the armchairs that sat in front of the wall screen.

  “Take a seat, gentlemen,” he said. “Let’s hear what’s so important that it was worth taking on my Security detail to tell me.”

  “We’ll stand, if that’s all right with you,” said Karlsson. “But I would suggest you sit down, sir.”

  Ten minutes later Turner’s mind was spinning, and he was glad he had taken the Professor’s advice.

  “Does it work?” he said, gripping the arms of his chair. “Does it actually work?”

  Karlsson looked at Browning, who took a step forward.

  “It works in the computers, sir,” said Matt. “And it works in a test tube. We’ve carried out a thousand data runs in the last two days, using living vampire tissue. Every single sample has been clear of the vampire virus after we introduced our engineered gene.”

  Turner looked at the young Lieutenant. Matt’s face was still flushed from his encounter with Operator Gregg in the hallway, but his eyes were clear, and his mouth was a straight line of determination. The Director had often dreamt of this moment, of a day when his scientists would walk into his quarters and tell him they had found a cure, but, now that it was happening, he found himself unable to fully process it. The scale of the Lazarus Project’s discovery – if it’s real, he reminded himself, don’t get carried away, for God’s sake, not yet – was scarcely comprehensible; if it did prove to be real, it would quite literally change the world forever. He ordered himself to stay calm, when what he really wanted to do was jump up from his desk and wrap Karlsson and Browning in a bear hug of sheer gratitude.

  “And you can produce it?” he asked. “On a mass scale?”

  Matt nodded. “The genetic structure is stable, sir. We can synthesise it as fast as the labs can churn it out.”

  “So what’s the next step?”

  “Under normal circumstances, we would schedule at least two years of rodent and primate testing before we even considered a human trial,” said Professor Karlsson. “But these are not normal circumstances, sir.”