Blood Ties

by Sophie McKenzie

  I strode back into Elijah’s living area and opened the door that led out onto the rest of the compound.

  ‘Mel?’

  Her face was twisted with fear. ‘Theo, listen.’ She barged into the room. ‘Elijah knows you ran off. He’s looking for you. Looking for me. You have to go back to your room.’

  ‘No.’ I turned and pointed to the holographic wall panel. ‘See? There’s loads of hidden rooms through there,’ I said. ‘I need to look around. There might even be a back way out of the compound.’

  ‘Hi, Mel.’ Daniel ran out from behind the holographic panel, which swished shut behind him. He flew across the room and hurled himself into Mel’s arms.

  ‘Hi, Daniel,’ Mel said distractedly. ‘Theo, you—’

  ‘You know him?’ I stared at her, shocked. ‘You knew about him?’

  Mel frowned. ‘Only that he’s in this research group of Elijah’s. Please come with—’

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ Fury tore through me.

  ‘Tell you what?’

  ‘You know.’ I glared at her. ‘How he’s the same as me.’

  Mel’s eyes widened as she took in what I was saying. ‘Are you sure? I didn’t . . . I mean, Elijah just said . . . it never occurred to me . . .’ She tailed off, staring at Daniel.

  I could see in her face she was telling the truth.

  She turned to me. ‘I didn’t know, Theo,’ she said urgently. ‘But what I do know is that Elijah could come back here any minute.’

  I swore. ‘Is there any way outside through the rooms behind that?’ I pointed to the holographic panel.

  Mel nodded. ‘There’s a back way out. But it’s locked. Only Elijah has the key. He keeps it with him all the time. Puts it in a safe when he goes to bed.’

  It didn’t matter. I had to try. I marched across the room.

  ‘No,’ Mel said.

  ‘You can’t stop me.’ I glanced round, but Mel wasn’t looking at me. She was staring at the computer on the desk. It had switched itself on and was counting down. I stared at the screen in horror. How hadn’t I noticed?

  Return in 10 seconds

  Return in 09 seconds

  Mel started backing away from the door towards the little bedroom that led off from the living area. She gripped Daniel’s hand tightly.

  ‘What’s the—?’

  ‘Ssssh!’ Mel and I spoke together.

  Return in 06 seconds

  Return in 05 seconds

  Mel opened the bedroom door behind her. She pushed Daniel into the room. Then she caught my eye, just as the main door opened.

  58

  Rachel

  No one spoke as we drove. It was hot in the back of the van and it smelled rank. Sweat and that horrible boys’ changing-room smell you get of old trainers.

  I kept looking across at Lewis, but he was avoiding my eye.

  I knew it was all part of keeping our cover, but it just made me feel more scared. I rubbed my sweaty palms on my combats.

  Without warning the van swerved right. We bumped along an uneven track for several minutes. I had to press myself against the side of the van to stop myself from being hurled forwards into somebody’s lap. And then the van stopped.

  Immediately, the door at the back swung open. The men stood silently and filed out. I followed, jumping down onto the ground. We were surrounded by trees, in some kind of clearing. Two cars were parked nearby, their windows darkened. I could hear the distant roar of traffic, but the uneven track we were on bent round, hiding the road we’d just driven along from view.

  All the men except Lewis and Franks were now lined up opposite the van. I could feel twenty pairs of eyes on me. I retied my ponytail, then folded my arms self-consciously, trying to hide the fact that my hands were shaking.

  Simpson was talking in a low voice with the van’s driver. He had two black masks in his hand. He strode over and handed one to Franks.

  ‘First five,’ he barked. ‘Go.’

  Four of the men plus Franks walked over to the van. One of them pulled down a narrow metal shutter below the van’s back door. He crawled on his stomach into the space that opened up. I stared in horror. The space was less than half a metre deep and only as wide as the van. The first man disappeared from view. Another crawled in after him.

  ‘As soon as the gates blow, the back-up teams follow. The signal for amber is the first gunshot,’ Simpson barked.

  My legs were shaking so badly I could barely stand.

  What had I done? What had I started?

  Franks was now crawling in after the last man. Someone must have given him a gun. It glinted in his hand as he inched his way across the narrow gap.

  Simpson came right up to Lewis. ‘You wired up okay?’

  Lewis prodded the tiny stud in his ear that doubled as a microphone. ‘Yes, sir.’ His voice echoed through the walkie-talkie strapped to Simpson’s arm.

  ‘The back-up cars will be following you the whole way,’ Simpson said. ‘And I’ll be able to hear everything. So no tricks. No detours. No deviation of any kind from the plan. Got it?’

  ‘Yes, sir.’ Lewis stared Simpson straight in the eyes.

  ‘We have ten minutes’ air down there,’ Simpson said, leaning closer to Lewis. ‘Don’t screw me on this or the cars behind will take you out.’

  ‘No, sir.’

  Simpson drew a stopwatch from his pocket and clicked it on.

  He turned to the remaining line of men. ‘As soon as we’re away, get in the cars.’ He scrambled into the metal space under the van. One of the other men pulled up the shutter. Once it was closed there was no way you could see an opening, or even suspect there was one.

  ‘Come on.’ Lewis dragged me up to the front of the van.

  ‘I’m glad we’re not travelling like them,’ I whispered.

  ‘Yeah?’ Lewis jumped into the driver’s seat and turned the key in the ignition. ‘Don’t be so sure. You and I are the ones who’ll get shot first if the guards at Elijah’s compound suspect anything.’

  I sat down and put on my seatbelt. My heart was in my mouth as we bumped back down the unmade track. The other cars followed right behind. Lewis turned left onto the main road and we continued on our way.

  In ten minutes we would be there.

  In ten minutes it would be make or break.

  In ten minutes I might be dead.

  59

  Theo

  Mel slipped backwards into the bedroom.

  I turned and faced Elijah. He stood in the doorway, his face grey with tiredness, his eyes blazing with rage.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ The coldness of his voice sent a shiver down my spine. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Mel’s face in the shadow behind the bedroom door.

  With a jolt I realised that Elijah would almost certainly hurt Mel if he found her here. Guilt flooded my head. She had begged me to leave and I’d stayed because I was angry. But it wasn’t her fault. It wasn’t anything to do with her.

  I had to keep Elijah away from the bedroom. I forced myself to look him in the eyes.

  ‘I am angry, Theodore. Very, very angry.’

  ‘Yeah? Me too. And it’s Theo.’

  We stared at each other.

  ‘Tell me about the Hermes Project,’ I said.

  Elijah’s eyes narrowed. ‘You’ve been looking through my files?’ His voice was low and threatening.

  ‘Only because you wouldn’t tell me anything.’ I strode over to the desk, more to keep his eyes off the bedroom than for any other reason. I grabbed the leather diary and opened it at this week’s page. An entry for yesterday caught my eye.

  Dr M. Results.

  What was that about?

  Elijah strode up behind me and slammed the diary shut.

  ‘Well, I have something to tell you now, Theodore,’ he said. ‘There’s been a change of plan.’

  60

  Rachel

  We were driving through the streets of Washington. Houses had given way to big off
ice blocks and shops. We passed through a very smart area with wide streets, then into a dingier, more built-up neighbourhood.

  Lewis was making that hissing sound under his breath again. My heart was thumping so hard, I thought for sure he would hear it.

  He glanced at me as we turned a corner, then drew a tiny, folded piece of paper out of his pocket. He laid it on the dashboard and pushed it towards me. He put his finger to his lips. I remembered the microphone in his ear and how Simpson could hear everything we said.

  I nodded to show I understood, then unfolded the paper.

  If anything goes wrong, just get out of the building. Head for the Jefferson Memorial. I’ll find you there.

  I gave Lewis a thumbs up, trying to ignore the churning, sick feeling in my stomach.

  Lewis blew out his breath. ‘We’re here.’

  I looked around. I could see nothing that remotely resembled a scientific compound. Just some boarded-up buildings and a disused car park with a notice in front: KEEP OUT. THIS BUILDING IS UNSAFE. Dept. of Public Works.

  Lewis turned into the car park. He drove over a series of speed humps.

  One. Two. Three.

  I wondered how being bumped like that felt for the men hidden under the van.

  Lewis turned through an archway down a long, dimly-lit tunnel. Shadows from the van played against the concrete walls. In the distance I could see a tall steel gate that spanned the whole width of the tunnel. It didn’t appear to be manned, though what looked like some kind of intercom screen was on the wall this side of the gate.

  Lewis slowed the van slightly, then pulled up beside the screen.

  He reached out and pressed his hand against the glass. ‘Lewis Michael,’ he said, ‘to see Elijah Lazio.’

  61

  Theo

  ‘What change of plan?’ I said. ‘What do you mean?’

  Elijah hesitated. ‘Nothing. It’s not important.’

  He was lying again. I could feel it. And it was something to do with the Hermes Project, I was sure.

  ‘You told me there were no more clones,’ I said.

  ‘I had to.’ Elijah stared at the floor. ‘Only three people know about Hermes. Four now, including you. Not even RAGE.’ He paused.

  ‘Go on,’ I said. ‘What were you going to tell me about?’

  He ran his hand through his hair. He looked tired. But also irritatingly reluctant to speak. In fact he looked torn – uncertain what to do. I’d never seen him look so . . . so weak.

  ‘Well?’ I said.

  ‘I haven’t been fair on you, Theodore.’ Elijah met my eyes at last. ‘I thought if you spent enough time here you would begin to see how important my work is, maybe want to emulate me, even.’ He looked away. ‘But I was wrong. And I’m ready to let you go. There’s something. . . I need to have an operation. Soon – within the next few weeks. I won’t be able to spend as much time with you as I’d have liked for a while. I need you to trust me though, trust that once I’m better we will begin our work together in earnest.’

  I stared at him. ‘What work together?’

  Elijah walked across the room. ‘Just let me change my shirt and I’ll explain . . .’

  ‘No.’ I couldn’t let him go into the bedroom. Couldn’t let him find Mel. ‘No. Stop.’

  He turned and frowned at me. He looked more tired than I’d ever seen him. ‘Theodore, I thought—’

  A shrill ringtone cut through Elijah’s words. He frowned and pulled the tiniest of mobile phones from his pocket. No. Not a mobile. Some kind of walkie-talkie.

  He flipped it open. ‘What?’ he barked.

  ‘Sorry to disturb you, sir,’ said a fuzzy male voice. ‘You’re needed at the front gate. Code seven.’

  Elijah flicked his fingers impatiently. He motioned me towards the door. I had no choice but to follow him through it. At least he hadn’t seen Mel.

  We walked down the corridor, Elijah still talking into the hand set.

  ‘Who is it?’ he barked.

  ‘Lewis Michael,’ the fuzzy voice said.

  I stopped in my tracks. Elijah stopped too.

  ‘Are you sure?’ he said.

  ‘Yes, sir,’ the voice continued. ‘With a girl. Wouldn’t give her name but told me to tell you: Artemis. Is that some kind of pass—’

  ‘Quiet.’ Elijah glanced sideways at me.

  My stomach knotted. Lewis was here? With Rachel? But Lewis was dead. I’d heard Elijah shoot him. And Rachel was supposed to be somewhere safe with her parents.

  Elijah raised the receiver to his mouth again. ‘What does he want?’ he said.

  ‘To bring the girl inside, sir,’ the male voice said.

  ‘Make sure they’re alone and unarmed, then let them through, but only to the front gate,’ Elijah said, shortly. ‘I’m on my way.’

  He snapped the walkie-talkie shut, then beckoned me towards him.

  ‘Come with me,’ he said. ‘We’ll carry on our discussion in a minute.’

  Together we headed for the main entrance.

  62

  Rachel

  The steel gates opened and we drove slowly through. Two men appeared, long guns slung casually round their necks.

  We were still inside the tunnel; another identical steel gate a few metres up ahead. Lewis stopped the van and switched off the engine.

  ‘They’ll search the van here,’ he said. ‘Before they let us through to the front of the building.’ He glanced at me. ‘How you doing?’ he mouthed.

  ‘Fine,’ I lied. I sat on my hands so he wouldn’t see they were shaking.

  The door beside me opened. One of the gate guards jerked his head at me.

  ‘Out,’ he commanded. I got down from the van. The guard patted up and down the sides of my body and legs. I could see Lewis on the other side of the van submitting to a similar examination.

  ‘Wait here.’

  I nodded, then held my breath as both guards marched to the back of the van and opened up the doors. If they found Simpson and his men now . . . I shuddered, imagining the gunfight that would take place. We were virtually trapped here, between the two gates. It was not a big space and, apart from the van itself, there was nowhere to hide. On top of that, Lewis and I had no weapon. I couldn’t imagine surviving any battle that took place here.

  The guards stamped about inside. Then they got out and waved some sort of metal baton and then a hand-held device, like a BlackBerry, along the van’s underside. Lewis walked round to where I was standing. His posture was still relaxed, but his breathing was tense and shallow.

  ‘Heat sensors,’ he whispered. ‘And state-of-the-art technology for picking up traces of explosives and stuff. The van’s designed to block all of them.’ He squeezed my arm, then mouthed. ‘Stay low. Find Mel. Okay?’

  One of the guards strode up. ‘You can go through,’ he said.

  I scrambled up into my seat and watched as the big steel doors in front of us swung open. Lewis started the engine and drove slowly forward.

  Through the gates, I could see the concrete and steel frame of the compound. As Lewis stopped the van again, the doors behind us closed.

  Oh my God. We were here. We were finally, actually here.

  63

  Theo

  Elijah walked fast through the corridors. I had to take extra steps to keep up with his long legs. He started coughing as we went through the acclimatisation shed that led into the Outdoor Room.

  As we stood inside, waiting for one set of doors to close and the other to open, I noticed beads of sweat standing out on his forehead. He leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.

  ‘It’s rude to stare, Theodore.’

  I carried on staring as he looked up. Again, I saw the weakness in his eyes. I took a deep breath.

  ‘As I’ve already told you,’ I said. ‘It’s Theo. And I wouldn’t want to work with you if you were the last man on earth. You’re a bully and a coward.’

  Elijah’s eyes pierced through me, then he smiled. ‘Fine.’
He coughed and pressed his hand against his chest.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ I said, as aggressively as I could. ‘Indigestion?’

  The door in front of us slid open.

  As we crossed the open space of the Outdoor Room I marvelled again at the smell of fresh air, the way clouds scudded on their holographic loop across the sky and at the distant bird sound.

  ‘How can Lewis be here?’

  ‘Smoke and mirrors,’ Elijah said.

  I stared at him. He didn’t appear in the slightest bit shocked to find Lewis was actually alive. Which meant he must already know.

  Still. I got the distinct impression he had no idea why Lewis had turned up at the compound. With Rachel. My chest tightened. I couldn’t see beyond the hologram walls of the Outdoor Room, but she must be out there.

  As we reached the front gate, this strange fluttering feeling started up in my stomach. I realised that I was nervous about seeing her. Maybe I was just picking up on Elijah’s nerves. He was sweating worse now and frowning as he muttered to the security guard on the door. He peered at the intercom screen.

  ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ he barked.

  He was standing in front of the screen so I couldn’t see Lewis’s face, but I could hear his voice.

  ‘The relocation was compromised. RAGE have been on our tail since Scotland,’ he said. ‘I had to bring Artemis here.’

  Elijah said something in Spanish. It sounded like he was swearing.

  He stood in front of the eye scanner. The door opened. Lewis appeared on the other side, his lips pressed together. He looked worried.

  And then Rachel stepped out from behind him. She looked completely different from the last time I’d seen her. Strong and determined. Not all bowed over herself, like she used to be, apologising for existing. And her hair was tied back off her face.

  Her very pretty face.

  She met my eye for just a second, then looked at Lewis.

  ‘Well, come on,’ Elijah said impatiently. He stepped away from the door so that Lewis and Rachel had room to walk inside.

  They stepped inside. Lewis raised his hand with the palm flat, the fingers together. He held it steady for split second, then dipped the fingers downwards.