"Tommy, consider that confirmed. We need-"
"Hey, Peri, wait. The database says you have a Sectera handset. Do you have that with you?"
She metaphorically kicked herself. "Yes." She rummaged through the many pockets of her black cargo pants until she found the secure handset, and switched it on. "I forgot I had it. I've just switched it on."
"I'm calling that number now," said Tommy. "Hang on."
A moment later the Sectera handset rang. She answered, and watched the screen as the status indicators lit up to confirm a secure line. "OK, I'm showing secure at my end," she said.
"Mine too," said Tommy. "Dropping the non-secure call."
"Still there, Tommy?"
"OK, let's have it."
"We need manpower, soonest. Let me think ..."
"Tell me what you're facing, Peri."
"Right, good idea. We encountered biological entities, appearing to be predatory flesh-eaters, origin and nature unknown. We are on an island - Anifail - off the coast by Arwensmouth, North Wales. I want to keep these beasts off the mainland. The island has a population of a couple dozen -"
"I can pull census data on that."
"We should sweep the island for survivors and evacuate them, and get a fix on the location and numbers of these things. Then we can plan to eradicate. Survivors are likely to need medical attention. How am I doing?"
"This is good, Peri. I'm goin' to alert Porton Down. We'll need a biohazard team, and a cleared medical team. I'll get them up to your location so they can triage. I'll organise secure accommodation for survivors. I'll also get hold of Director Special Forces. I'm looking at a map of the island now, and I'm thinking a couple of troops - that's thirty-odd men - to sweep and secure. How urgent is this? I'm asking because we have transport options to consider."
"Very urgent," said Peri, firmly. "We need to move on this as soon as possible."
"Right," said Tommy. "I'll check out helicopter landing sites. I'll work through SO15 and alert the local police. You've got an SBS team on hand, so you should be able to secure the ferry and stop anyone else crossing over. Do you confirm?"
"Confirmed," she replied.
"Right then. I've got plenty to do here, so I'll drop off. Call me on your Sectera if anything changes. I'll call you within the hour with an update-"
Suddenly, she heard cursing and the sound of gunshots from just ahead of her. Evidently, Tommy could hear it too.
"Peri? I hear gunshots. Are you in immediate danger?"
"Fuck, Tommy, if you can hear gunshots, then that is the daftest fucking question -"
"I can get a drone overhead, and I can get armed response to support you within an hour."
"Don't get distracted, Tommy, in an hour we'll either be in the pub on the mainland having a laugh, or dead. You've got the shopping list, go and get it."
"Okay, Peri."
"And Tommy? Thanks for the offer. I might even forgive the 'crazy hair' shit you fed the guys here. But only if I live, otherwise you can expect an unpleasant haunting, got that?"
"I hear you. We'll talk shortly."
The line went dead.
Peri had been following in Steve's wake, not really paying attention to where they were heading. Bringing her focus back from her phone call, she realised that the fog was a thick as ever, so they could not be not very close to the shore. Steve, Troy and Gus were in a triangle around Amanda and herself, aiming out into the gloom. Troy evidently saw a movement, because he swivelled at the hips and fired three shots in quick succession.
"Guys," she said. "Are we surrounded? Is this, like, the end for Butch and Sundance?"
"Not sure," said Steve, tersely. "I'm listening out for movement."
Peri cocked her head to one side, and listened. There was a slight rustling sound off to her left, to the rear and directly ahead of them, but utter silence to the right. "To the right," she said. "We need to go right."
"Are you sure?" asked Troy. "I can't hear anything, anywhere."
"Well I can," she said. "Come on, this way."
She led them off to the right. As she did so, she tried to visualise the map she had studied earlier, and mentally replayed their earlier movements. By her reckoning they were now moving south-westwards. "We should hit the circular road in a minute," she said. "When we do, we follow the road to our left and the ferry should be no more than ten minutes' walk."
"Are you sure?" Steve asked. "The fog is so thick, we can't be anywhere near the coast."
"That was my first thought too, but I'm sure. The fog must be getting thicker."
Even as she spoke, she realised there was tarmac under feet. "Oh look," she said with a laugh. "It seems I'm right. Who'd have guessed? Other than me, of course."
"Nobody likes a smart-arse," contributed Troy.
"Right," said Steve. "We have a good road surface. Let's put on a bit of speed. Ladies? Can you manage a jog?"
Amanda must be getting her act together, because she snapped back, "If it gets us off this island faster, I'd manage a jig, never mind a jog."
As they moved off, Peri fell back to walk alongside Gus and Tash.
"Did you notice that we're being followed?" said Gus quietly.
"The goat?" she asked. "It's still watching us, isn't it? As long as it doesn't get any closer I'm willing to live and let live."
"But that is not why you fell back to walk with us, is it?"
"We need to talk," she said softly.
"What about?" asked Gus.
"That's not a dog," she replied. "I don't know what it is, but it isn't natural."
Gus paused, and looked at her in genuine surprise. "Whatever makes you say that?"
"Natural dogs don't glow," she said tersely, and hurried forward to join Amanda.
"Amanda," she said. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm cold, I'm scared, I feel nauseous, I have bloody sick in my hair, I don't know where my colleagues are, I don't know who you are, or who they are, and I don't know what the hell's going on." She took a deep breath and blew it out again. "Under the circumstances I'd say the fact that I'm moving and not paralysed by terror means I must be doing all right."
"That's the British spirit," Peri said, and gave a snort that might have been a laugh. "Keep calm and bitch about the weather. We'll be back at the ferry in a minute, we'll get over to the mainland, and then we'll be safe."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Not even slightly sure. Tell me, Amanda, what are you doing here? What are your archaeologists looking for?"
She heaved a sigh. "Like I said earlier, we found some evidence of a Roman military operation in the first century that was hushed up. Something was going on in North Wales, and they concentrated about two thousand troops in the area to deal with it. Whatever it was, it ended here, on the island. They buried something that they didn't want anybody to find again."
"So your team is hoping to dig it out?"
"Yes, that's right."
"And, er," Peri hesitated to ask, but it had to be done. "Does the team have any idea what they're digging for?"
"Not really," said Amanda. "There was a bit of speculation. The problem might have been Hibernian raiders, but then why bury the evidence? There might have been a revolt by the locals, and they wanted to hush it up to stop anyone else in Britannia from having the same idea, but that sounds out of character. Romans would be more likely to string rebels up on crucifixes as a very public warning. A story survived into the Middle Ages that pitched it as a dragon that was defeated by strength of arms and faith in the Almighty. The island has been called variations of 'dragon isle' for centuries. Supposedly the dragon was buried here."
Peri grabbed her arm. "Do you mean to tell me," she said, incredulously, "that your colleagues are cheerfully digging up a monster?"
"It was just a story," Amanda said, shaking her arm free. "The way tales evolve, the 'dragon' is just a metaphor for 'something bad', not actually a real monster! We want to find out what the Romans really burie
d."
"Did it occur to you that that might be a bad idea?"
Amanda laughed. "After two thousand years? Don't be ridiculous!"
Peri pointed back the way they had come. "Don't you think there might be some connection between those bloody chain saw eel things, and the monster the Romans buried?"
Amanda made a sound that might have been a laugh. "It sounds highly bloody unlikely to me. Anyway, if they do dig out the remains of a long-dead animal - come on, what's the worst that could happen?"
Peri did not answer, because she had been asking herself the same question, and had no answer. She sped up and moved in between Steve and Troy. "Guys," she said. "I was wondering. What's the worst that can happen?"
"One day the sun will exhaust its hydrogen..." Troy answered.
At the same time, Steve, asked, "Do you mean now, or do you mean ever?"
"What is this - a philosophical debate?" snapped Peri. "How about we dwell on the meaning of life for a bit? Come on, fuckwits, what should we be preparing for?"
"Sorry, I'm sure," said Steve, "But I'm a bit busy worrying about staying alive at the moment."
"What if these things can swim? How do we protect the mainland then? What if they carry exotic diseases? Should we quarantine ourselves?" Peri shook her head. "I'd be happier if I knew what we need to do next."
"Can we worry about that when we're on the ferry and half-way to shore?" Steve snapped. "If that's all right with you, of course. Now stop being a bloody distraction."
The road broadened out into a parking area. They had arrived at the ferry.
"What was the boatman's name again?" asked Steve.
"Bill," supplied Troy.
"Bill! Hey, Bill! We need to move!" Steve called out. "Come on folks, get on board. Where is he? Where's Bill?" He strode forward and stepped up onto the deck of the chain ferry.
Suddenly, Peri was blinded by a flash of light, and winded by a sudden, painful, lurch of her stomach. There was a movement in the light and a scream of pain from Steve.
"Steve!" she shouted.
Abruptly, the world swung back onto even keel, Steve was standing with one foot up on the boat, and everyone was looking at her quizzically.
"Get off the boat! Now!"
He stepped back just as something sinuous and black lunged at his leg - and narrowly missed.
"What the -" he exclaimed, jumping backwards. "They're on the boat!"
The black thing slithered over the side and landed on the concrete ramp. It was the length of a man's arm, glistening with slime, and rows of spines ran down its length. The head end was the size of a large fist, with what looked like eyes in a concentric ring around a gaping mouth in which rings of sharp spikes could be seen moving. It seemed to compress its own length, and then aimed itself at Steve and sprang at him.
Steve ducked and rolled to one side, and it narrowly missed him, twisting in the air and snapping as it passed. As it hit the ground and began to contract again, Troy reacted reflexively by kicking it as hard as he could. It flew across the ramp and hit the water. The creature instantly screamed and flailed its body around, trying desperately to reach the concrete ramp once again. Its spines gained traction and it hauled itself up out of the water. Gus was closest to it, and he brought his foot down hard, squishing it against the ground. They all stared - the creature seemed to be dissolving before their eyes. The spines softened and sank back into its flesh; teeth fell out; its flesh was slowly liquefying into black ooze.
"I'd say it doesn't like water," said Troy.
"Or being stomped on," added Peri.
Gus and Tash were studying the remains closely. Peri heard Gus murmur, "Now that's interesting, isn't it Tash?" For one insane moment she thought she thought the dog might answer him.
"Troy," said Steve with urgency in his voice. "We need to check the ferry for more of those things." The two men clambered aboard, pistols in hand, to search.
Meantime, Peri caught a glimpse of something poking out of the grass close to the water. She moved to get a closer look, and recoiled as she recognised it as a shoe, and inside it, a foot.
"Shit! Is that Bill?" Her voice trembled.
Gus looked beyond the foot, and took in the leg, the torso and the face. "Yes," he said tersely. "Stay well back, Peri." Gus looked at Tash, and the dog looked at Bill without getting too close, before looking back at Gus. "He's gone, but I think he's infected by one of those things."
Peri felt herself hovering on the edge of hysteria. "Tash told you that, did he?"
Gus looked at her in surprise, but said nothing.
"If he's infected then stand well back," said Peri. She aimed her pistol at the body, making a conscious effort to keep her feelings of panic under control. "I'll keep an eye on him, and this flank in general. Gus, I think you better watch our backs while the guys clear the boat."
Without looking round, she called out, "Steve! How's the ferry?"
"So far so good," came the reply. "Nearly done. Give us a couple more minutes."
"Amanda! You good?" Peri asked.
"Still keeping calm," she answered, shakily.
Steve called out, "Clear. All aboard! Next stop - sanity!" There was a pause, as they filed aboard, then Steve added, "Mind you, we need to figure out how to make this thing go."
"I can take care of that," said Gus. "Bill showed me before we crossed over. There is not much to it, happily."
Troy helped with the mooring chains while Gus set the rudders, and the ferry began moving.
Chapter 21
Arwensmouth, North Wales, May 29 last year.
The chain ferry bumped against the concrete ramp and Gus and Troy grabbed the mooring chains to tie it up.
Peri turned to Steve. "Better make sure nobody tries crossing to the island," she said.
"I want to talk to you," he reminded her.
"Later," she snapped. "There are more urgent things that need done."
She looked across at Gus. "Hey!" she called. "When the boat's secure, give that pistol back and then I want you in the Inn, right now, or even sooner than that."
She pulled out her Sectera phone and dialled Tommy in London.
"This is Tommy," came his voice. "Are you all right, Peri?"
"We're on the mainland again," she replied. "When do our reinforcements get here?"
"As soon as," he answered. "There's nowhere in a reasonable radius that I can get a Chinook to you, so the Aviation Wing is taking them up in Dauphins. There's a flight based at Credenhill, so they'll be loaded in a few minutes time with men from Credenhill and Hereford. They should be with you in less than an hour. Another two Dauphins are picking up your medics and biohazard team, no ETA on them yet. First flight in will be an operations team and some MOD police. They're going to commandeer the police station."
"Thanks," she said tersely. "We'll listen out for them. Bye, T."
She strode purposefully into the Arwensmouth Inn, calling out the landlord's name.
"Hello, Miss Carlton," he said, emerging from the bar.
"Is my room ready?" she asked.
"I'll just get the key," he said, and disappeared for a moment while he did so.
Gus came in through the front door, Tash at his heels. Peri stabbed her forefinger in his direction.
"Right. You. With me," she snapped, and trotted up the stairs. She entered her room - Chen's room - and pointed at a chair. "Sit."
Gus sat, and smiled at her. "How may I help you?"
"Who are you? Give me your passport."
Gus was about to say something, until she showed him the pistol in her hand, and snapped, "Now."
He handed over his passport. She looked at it, compared him to his photograph, and tossed it back. She pulled out her Sectera phone and dialled Tommy again.
"Peri? Nothing's changed this end. Are you all right?"
"Check out a name for me, please," she said. "Surname 'Vasa', that's Victor Alpha Sierra Alpha. First names 'Gustav Adolph'. Place of birth Stockholm."
<
br /> "OK, wait one." There was a faint sound of a keyboard in the background.
"Not found in any criminal or political databases, here or in Sweden. Not known to be affiliated to any of SAPO, MUST or FRA."
"Why does that name sound familiar, I wonder? Anything in the Wild and Woolly Web?"
"Let me … ah, all the search hits are for a king who died in 1632. Do you want me to organise a deeper dig?"
"Nah," she said. Then she snapped her fingers. "Of course," she continued. "There's a ship in a museum in Stockholm named the Vasa, and it was built for King Gustavus Adolphus. Was 'Vasa' his surname?"
"Yep. Anything else I can help with?"
"Not right now, thanks T. Bye."
She looked at Gus, speculatively. "If you're working under a false identity, then you have delusions of grandeur, my friend. If you were born with that name, then are you a descendent of the old Royal Family? I thought the Vasa dynasty died out, and Bernadotte was invited to take the throne."
He smiled. "You are well informed about Sweden."
Peri shrugged. "Nah, I just have a bloody good memory. So what's your real name?"
His smile broadened. "Gustav Adolph Vasa."
"Really." Peri thought he was enjoying himself a little too much.
She pointed at Tash. "What is that?"
"My dog?"
"Try again."
His smile tightened. "What do you think?" he asked. "What do you see when you look at Tash, other than a dog?"
"A faint bluish glow. An animal that looks like it understands every word that you, or anyone else, says. Silent interactions where the body language suggests a conversation is taking place, even though nobody else can hear it. An owner and his pet who don't seem particularly shocked by the mayhem over on the island. Your presence is more than a coincidence, isn't it?"
Suddenly a voice chimed into her thoughts, inside her head, in a bad fake Cockney accent.
"Well, I think we've been rumbled, Gus old mate. It's a fair cop, lady, you've got us bang to rights."
"Tash!" Gus snapped at the dog. "Stop that!"
Peri just stared at the dog, her mouth open, for what felt like a very long time.
Island of Fog and Death: A sci-fi horror adventure Page 16