Soul Taker

by John Garforth

  Taking his cuffs and keys from the pouch on his belt she dropped the keys in her pocket and snapped the hand cuffs on his wrists. Since witnessing the death of his partner, there seemed little fight left in the man, she pushed him forward, then followed as he shuffled back to the apartment.

  Tom was on his feet and stood with his back to her, leaning across the table, his knuckles white as he held on to the back of a chair. Blood had soaked through his shirt from the wound he’d received when the door had caught him across his shoulders.

  He heard her come into the room, but ignored her, continuing to stare down at the table top. His body shaking with a nervous tremor.

  “Tom,” she said trying to get his attention, “I need you to help me, pick up the door and stand it back in the doorway, keep out prying eyes.” Without turning around, he began to speak, his voice was trembling, she couldn’t see his face, but he sounded close to tears.

  “Piper you’ve killed a policeman, what the hell are we going to do?” His voice was rising towards hysteria, “no, I’ll rephrase that, what am I going to do? You can claim diplomatic immunity or something like that and get whisked out of the country. But they’ll hunt me down wherever I go, and when they find me, they’ll either send me to prison forever, or they’ll say that I ‘resisted arrest,’ which means that I’ll die in a hail of bullets.”

  “He’s right,” said Ernst, shouting in Pipers face, “neither of you’ll get away with this, why did you have to shoot him, you bastard? I’ll make sure, one way or another, that the pair of you pay for this with your lives.”

  “Shut up,” said Piper, wiping the spittle from her face, “get on the floor, or you die now, what have I got to lose?”

  Tom turned to look at her, as Ernst struggled to lower himself to his knees, he looked shocked by her threat. She winked at him, hoping to diffuse the situation and make him understand that it was, indeed, only a threat. She moved to the dead policeman and searched for his handcuffs, this time she didn’t bother with his keys. Tom had propped the door up by the time she’d got back, he stood looking at her, as she snapped the cuffs onto Ernst’s ankles.

  She walked over to Tom, he looked wrecked, completely exhausted, his eyes pleading with her to make all the problems go away. Piper wrestled with her emotions, her mission brief was crystal clear, there could be no distractions, she must pick up her bag, brush past this sad young man, and walk away.

  But her heart led her down a different path, all her early life she’d been let down, used, then ignored, she’d taken the knocks, knew how it felt to lose hope and feel abandoned. For Piper, that meant there was only one decision possible, right or wrong and it was probably wrong, but she couldn’t just walk away. In the back of her mind there was a clock ticking, she knew she had to hurry, there wasn’t much time left, someone in the tenement must have reported the gunfire.

  Taking him by the arm, she walked him down to the bathroom, away from listening ears.

  “Tom, I have to go now,” she said, keeping her voice low and coming straight to the point, “I apologise for all this mess and the trouble I’ve got you into. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way, all I wanted was to spend a couple of hours off the street, then all this happened.”

  “Don’t Piper, don’t leave me now, I need you here,” his voice was the whine of a child, he looked desperate, eyes wild, “the police must be on their way and I can’t see any way out of this, I’m not like you, I don’t know what to do.”

  She reached out for his hands and clasped them in hers. Feeling that perhaps this was all a waste of time, she should have listened to her head not her heart and walked out the door without a word

  “Calm down,” she said gently, “don’t get so upset.”

  He looked shell shocked as he leant back against the wall, a single tear trickled slowly down his cheek.

  “Stop worrying Tom,” she continued, feeling her patience beginning to ebb, “not now, I’m not going to go anywhere without you, and as long as we get a move on, we’ll be long gone by the time the Police arrive. So, stop worrying about anybody locking you up Tom, now or in the future, because tonight, everything changes.

  The look of relief on his face was almost comical, he pulled his hands out of hers, put his arms round her and hugged her like a bear. She pushed herself away, forcing a smile.

  “What do you mean when you say that? He asked, frowning, picking up on what she’d said, “what’s happening tonight, what’s going to make everything change?”

  Piper avoided answering his question by asking him a different one.

  “Do you have a car Tom?”

  He nodded.

  “It’s an ancient little Fiat, I’ve got it parked round the back. Why, do you want it?”

  Piper could hardly believe this very sad young man. She’d lied to him, wrecked his home, ruined his life, committed murder on his carpet and taken a policeman hostage in his front room. Yet, even now, after all that, he was still standing there, willing to help her, even to donate his car for her escape. She suddenly felt a tug of tenderness for this strange young Englishman, but the feeling was brief and disappeared as quickly as it had come. Her training kicked in, she had to regard him as nothing more than an asset, albeit one that she’d have to use carefully, his behaviour was a little flaky, he could be on the brink of a breakdown.

  “No Tom, I don’t want your car, but if you’d give me a lift in it, I’d be really grateful.”

  “Where to?”

  “The local Airport, but don’t worry, it’s nothing major, I’m not going to hurt anybody, it’s just a little bit of unfinished business that I’ve got to sort out there this evening. It would be really great, if you could get me as close as you can to Terminal D car park, do you know where that is?”

  He nodded

  “Before we go,” she continued, still feeling guilty” I’d just wanted to say that I wish that things hadn’t turned out the way they did Tom, you’ve seen a side of me that, quite frankly, I wish you hadn’t, but it’s my work, it’s what I do. Following on from that, I have to say again how important it is that I get to the Airport tonight without being seen. Do you know any shortcuts or backstreets that we can use?”

  “Sure, so don’t worry, I’ve lived here a while, I know the area pretty well.”

  “Good, because if I get caught now by the Police, then all of this,” she encompassed the room with a sweep of her arm,” will have been for nothing. The amount of people that I will have let down if I’m arrested, is staggering, comrades and team members and all the others that were stupid enough to put their trust in me, will be left feeling very foolish.”

  “You’re a fine one to talk about trust Piper,” he said, a bit too light heartedly, “I’m caught up in all this and I’m taking risks too, but you still won’t tell me anything about yourself, your keep your life and work like a closed book. I feel like an actor on a film set and you’re the mysterious heroine, without a past, who suddenly walks into my life and turns everything upside down. Please, trust me just a little,” he said, smiling, “tell me what you’re involved in Piper, what dark secrets are you keeping from me, what problem is so earth shatteringly important that you cannot even speak its name?”

  “You might not think it Tom, but I do know how you feel, it’s always frustrating being left out of the loop and I know that I come across as secretive and obsessive.”

  She walked over to the window and looked down at the empty street, before continuing.

  “ But, believe me, I take my job very seriously and I’m under strict orders not to tell a soul about what I’m doing. Millions of people’s lives are at stake and, like I said, there are lots of people counting on me. Tom, nothing would give me greater pleasure than to just tell you everything, get it all out in the open, but this next phase is crucial, so it’s best for all concerned that I don’t. No offence Tom, but I can’t let anything stop me now, you’ve got to get me down to that Airport quickly and without anyone seeing me.”
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  “There you go again,” said Tom, his eyes twinkling with humour,” You won’t tell me anything and yet you want me to chauffeur you to the scene of your next crime, is my role in this drama, best described as going along for the ride, Piper?”

  She was feeling slightly concerned, he’d just been involved in a killing, yet his mood seemed suddenly lighter than it should be, he was even trying to make jokes. Perhaps it was a coping strategy, a safety valve, his means of reducing the tension, she made a mental note to keep a close eye on him.

  “I sympathise Tom and if you don’t want to drive me to the airport it’s ok,” she said harshly, “I understand, maybe it’s better if we go our separate ways now.”

  “No, I didn’t mean that Piper,” he said hastily, panic in his eyes, “we’re a team now, you and me, anyway, what would I do if you just walked out and left me? You know you’ve changed in my World forever, don’t you? Look around, it’s glaringly obvious isn’t it, even if I wanted to, I can’t ever go back now, not to the way I was before, or to the life that I used to live.” He hesitated, anxiety written large on his face, “ to be honest, I’m starting to feel a bit out on a limb again, it’s too quiet, something bad is going to happen, I just know it is”

  “Stop it Tom,” she said sharply, “for God’s sake calm down, nothing’s going to happen. We won’t get caught or hurt, trust me, I won’t allow it,”

  Piper forced a strained smile, knowing that there was no way that she could leave him now, he was turning into more of a liability than an asset,

  “Now, go and get some clothes together,” she said, “pack for a couple of days, because when we leave here, you won’t ever be coming back again. You’ve got to get right out of Berlin tonight and keep heading south, Spain would be good.”

  Piper checked her watch before continuing. It was 4.10 pm, she was staggered at the time she’d lost, it would be dark in an hour, she had to be in place before that happened. The chances of her getting herself out of this alive, were diminishing fast.

  “Why would I want to go to Spain?” He sounded incredulous.

  When she spoke again she appeared distracted, her mind elsewhere. The sudden realisation that time was running out, had concentrated her thoughts. They had to make a move now.

  “Well, maybe not Spain, in fact I don’t think you’ve got the time now, anyway,” She continued, “Perhaps you’d be better heading for Switzerland and then dropping down into Italy. But whatever you do, you must keep going south Tom, don’t stop ‘till you get well down below Rome. So, hurry up now, we’d best get going, you’ve got one hell of a journey ahead of you.”

  “ I know that you can’t tell me much for security reasons, we’ve just been through all that. But surely, you don’t expect me to drive halfway across Europe tonight, without some sort of explanation.”

  “I want to get you well out of harm’s way Tom. I don’t want the Police picking you up after I’ve ….”

  “Will it be nuclear?” He asked, cutting her off, “tonight I mean, is that what’s really happening Piper? Level with me, please.”

  She realised that had been just a matter of time until he guessed the truth, she couldn’t prevaricate anymore, so she gave the briefest of nods. Then, fumbling with her top, she managed to unzip the money belt that was tied around her waist and took out a wad of Euros.

  “Look, you’ll need some money, there’s a few thousand here, it’ll get you a place to stay.”

  She pushed the notes into his hands.

  “What’s going to happen to you Piper?” He said, looking dazed at the amount of information he was having to process.

  “Oh, don’t worry about me Tom, I’ll be airlifted out shortly,” she lied, “can you please hurry.”

  “Hold on now, this could change everything Piper, so just slow down a little,” he said, “I know we’ve got to hurry, but just take a minute to listen. If they’re coming to pick you up, why can’t I come too? I promise, I’ll be no trouble and besides, I’ve never been to America.”

  “What?” she asked irritably, her mind already focused on leaving.

  “I’m just saying, maybe I could fly out with you Piper. I just can’t help feeling that you and I have forged a bond today, we’re more like comrades in arms than strangers, don’t you think?”

  “Tom, the bottom line is that I can’t take you with me, is that clear? We seem to be going round in circles, if you’ve got a problem, spit it out.” She said, trying to be patient, but she was concerned about his mental state and time was running out.

  “It’s because I wasn’t much help to you this afternoon when the police came back, isn’t it?” He said sulkily, “I let you down didn’t I? I wasn’t there for you when it all kicked off and I’m sorry that I didn’t cope very well with the violence. I know that you’ll think that this is a lame excuse, but you see, I’m not a doer like you are, I’m one of life’s bystanders and all the others like me, the people who stand in the crowd, we all struggle to cope with the things that people like you seem to take for granted. To be honest Piper, I feel a little bit in awe of you.”

  Piper looked at him long and hard, feeling the irritation welling up inside her. But, for some unknown reason she wanted to let this naïve young man down gently and not hurt his feelings too much.

  “It’s nothing to do with that Tom, please believe me, I’d take you if I could. The situation is complicated, when they pull me out, it’s to do with the weight and ratio’s and various things like that, there is honestly only room for one.”

  He looked at her, his head on one side, eyebrows a little raised, a smile played around his lips as he looked her straight in the eye. She looked away, aware that he seemed to have developed a crush on her.

  “I wouldn’t get in your way Piper, all I want is a lift. To be honest with you, the thought of driving down the length of Europe, on the eve of a Nuclear war terrifies me. If there was an alternative I’d jump at it.”

  “Jesus Christ Tom,” she exploded, “stop humiliating yourself and wheedling me like a child, I’m not your mother, it’s time that you manned up, either come or stay, I don’t really care, but if you’re coming, we go now.”

  Piper saw the hurt on his face, she still felt a little sorry for him, it was the old story, he wanted more of her than she could give, in many ways it was familiar, an emotional minefield that she’d walked many times. She’d had moments in her life, emotional entanglements, but nothing ever lasted. The men in her life had always wanted more than she could ever give them, there had been so many times when she’d simply had to walk away from difficult situations.

  Her lovers had always needed a commitment that she couldn’t give, her career and ambition had always taken precedence. The Military, was after all, still a male dominated arena, the only way for her to reach the top and succeed in her ambition, was to remain laser focused.

  “Put it out of your head Tom,” she repeated calmly, “I can’t take you with me, end of story. I know you’re frightened, but desperate times, need desperate measures and driving is your only chance of staying alive.”

  “Will I ever see you again?”

  She threw the rucksack over her shoulder and looked him in the eye, hating herself as she lied through her teeth.

  “Of course you will Tom,” she said, in a softer voice, “head south like I told you and I promise, when all this is over, I’ll come and look for you.”

  • • •

  Tom knew this area of Berlin well and was an intuitive driver. Sticking to the side streets he avoided any roadblocks that the Police might have erected. It took them ten minutes to reach the Airport entrance, the traffic around them was quite heavy, but it was moving steadily. Piper looked around her and was amazed at how quiet it was, there was no sign of any panic. When she’d studied the war at school she’d always imagined the streets full of screaming people.

  The news they’d been getting on the TV and radio was dire, claim and counter claim by western European forces and
the Russians. Yet life in Berlin went on as normal. To Piper, it seemed unreal, she knew that in a few short hours, everything would evaporate in a flash of nuclear fire.

  Her mind was pulled back to the reality of the moment as Tom pulled the little Fiat into Car Park D. Concentrating on the job at hand, Piper noticed that security seemed quite lax. The increased security presence would be on the inside, around Terminals A and B. They would take it for granted that any terrorist attack would be mounted on the inside, against the public so they’d leave the perimeter to the CCTV cameras. Piper found their reasoning logical and in many ways convenient, she had no intention of hurting anyone, the destruction of an empty aircraft was her only goal.

  She checked her watch, it was now 4.55 pm, she knew exactly where her target was, everything should now be in place. The infamous flight BTA 635 to Japan, would be sat on the tarmac outside terminal B and would not leave for another six hours. Internet records had shown that this aircraft had just received a full overhaul and was re-entering service. Most school children knew the historic significance of this flight and that in 8 hours it would be blown out of the sky by two nuclear missiles. This was the collision that destroyed the missiles guidance systems and changed their flight path, multiple warheads, originally destined for the UK, rained down on Northern Italy instead.

  She turned to Tom, trying to avoid his eyes.

  “It’s time,” she said, smiling trying to keep the mood light, “you go your way and I’ll go mine, drive like hell Tom and good luck.”

  “I wish we’d met at a different time,” said Tom, wanting more than Piper could give him.

  Piper leant forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek, then she was gone. The door clicked behind her as she melted into the darkness.