by Nick Jones
‘Yeah, you could say that,’ Nathan replied. ‘Didn’t even make it to the airport.’
Chad glanced at Mohanty. ‘Heard you took ‘em on.’ He smiled widely like a surfer about to hit a wave. ‘You are one crazy son of a bitch.’
‘We made it,’ Mohanty said simply.
Chad nodded, sniffed and glanced over at Alex and Pascale. ‘Rooms are okay here, and the food ain’t bad.’
‘You read my mind,’ Pascale replied.
Nathan asked, ‘How many of you are based here?’
‘There’s around sixty,’ Chad replied. ‘That includes security. More are coming in every day. Word is getting out.’
‘Security?’ Pascale asked.
‘Yeah.’ He shrugged, scratching the back of his neck. ‘Don’t worry, though, this is probably the safest place in Dubai.’ He lifted one of their bags onto a rusty trolley; one of its wheels howled. ‘Mainly because we pay our way.’
Paul joined them. ‘Chad, are you scaring our guests?’
Chad grinned, pushed his Ray-Ban sunglasses up over his head and thrust his hand forward. ‘It’s good to see you, Paul.’
‘Likewise. Been a while, too long.’
‘Where the hell did that UN ship come from?’
Paul waved it off. ‘It was nothing.’ His eyes flicked to Mohanty and then back. ‘How have things been here?’
‘Had some problems with the generator.’ Chad grabbed another bag and then said proudly, ‘But we’re back up and running again.’
Paul looked around. ‘All set for tonight?’
‘Yeah, should be,’ Chad replied. ‘Steve reckons there will be over a hundred.’
‘Good.’ Paul nodded. ‘I’ve got some big news.’
‘You always do.’ Chad’s eyes brightened. He glanced around at the group, smiling so wide it almost caught hold of them. ‘The Priest’s full of surprises, eh?’
Paul moved towards Pascale. ‘It was a close one, but we’re safe for now, and that’s all that matters.’
Pascale’s chest rose a little and she shuddered. ‘Are we, though?’ she said, her voice quiet. ‘Are we safe?’
Alex wrapped an arm around her shoulder. ‘We’re all tired,’ he said, eyes on Paul.
‘Of course.’ Paul nodded. ‘It was a hell of a way to arrive. I’ve put you in our best room and will scrounge up some food for you.’ He put a hand on Alex’s shoulder. ‘Look after her.’
‘I will,’ Alex replied.
Chad spun the old trolley around and its broken wheels began to squeal in rhythm. ‘Follow me, Sir, Madam. Room service is a once-only offer.’
Pascale finally smiled – it was hard not to like the appalling attempt at humour – but it was clear she was exhausted. ‘I’m sorry, Chad,’ she said. ‘Try me again later.’
Chad bobbed his head. ‘Sure thing.’ He smiled as if it were stapled to his cheeks.
Before they left, Paul gestured towards the atrium. ‘As you’ve no doubt gathered, we have a meeting tonight, starts at seven. Will you come?’
Alex nodded. ‘We’ll see you later.’ He set off towards the stairwell.
Once the three of them were alone, Paul’s smile dropped visibly. When he turned back he looked older, his brow lined with concern. Another vehicle pulled up outside and people jumped down. Paul ignored it. He looked to Nathan. ‘I don’t like surprises,’ he whispered. ‘The people here trust me to keep them safe and I don’t know this guy from Adam.’ He nodded at Mohanty. ‘You should have told me you were expecting company.’
‘George is a good friend,’ Nathan said. ‘You can trust him completely.’
‘That true?’ Paul turned and stared at George. ‘I can trust you?’
‘Nathan didn’t even know I was coming,’ George replied.
‘That’s not an answer.’ Paul’s lips pulled back a little. He was clearly upset but his attention was drawn to the new arrivals. There was a long pause. Nathan wasn’t sure what to say. Paul glanced nervously over his shoulder and then pointed at Mohanty, his voice a whisper but a powerful one, the intent clear. ‘What the hell was that?’ he hissed.
‘What?’ Mohanty replied, shrugging.
‘You know what I mean,’ Paul snapped back. ‘Out there in the desert. What the hell was it?’
‘It was necessary,’ George said. ‘Can’t we just leave it at that?’
‘Don’t get me wrong – what you did, however you did it, you have my gratitude.’ Paul tightened his stare. ‘But you also have my curiosity and my absolute attention.’
Mohanty shrugged again. ‘Seems to me you made a mistake. I cleaned it up.’
‘What are you suggesting?’
‘I’m not suggesting anything,’ Mohanty shot back. ‘Your job was to get them here safely, and if I hadn’t stepped in it wouldn’t have gone too well.’
‘Border checks are common,’ Paul replied. ‘I think you’ll find that it was the girl who put us all in the shit.’
‘He’s right, George,’ Nathan assured his friend. ‘Pascale got scared, she ran, they were going to shoot her.’ He placed a hand on George’s shoulder. ‘Look, we’re all on the same team. Can we just start over?’
George picked up his bag from the floor. ‘All right,’ he said, eyeing Paul. ‘Just understand this. I’m here because Nathan needs me. I’m not interested in your private little rebellion. As soon as we get what he needs, I’m gone. In the meantime, whatever you think you saw out there? Keep it to yourself.’ George scowled. ‘Do you understand?’
Paul smiled and raised his hands in a comical gesture of defeat. ‘Alright, understood.’
Behind them, a group of people spilled through the hotel entrance. Paul glanced over his shoulder and when he looked back it was as if the mask that got shit done had been reapplied.
‘Duty calls,’ Paul said. ‘George, are you okay to bunk with Nathan?’
‘Of course,’ George replied.
‘Paul?’ Nathan shuffled awkwardly on his feet. ‘When are we –’
‘Let’s get tonight done,’ Paul interrupted. ‘I’ve got the leaders from different groups arriving and thanks to you, we’ve got plenty to talk about. Tomorrow will be better. We can talk in the morning, okay?’
‘Okay,’ Nathan replied, ‘but I need to know when we are –’
‘It’s all arranged,’ Paul assured him. ‘I’m going to take you to the de-sal plant tomorrow night.’
‘And the DNA worked?’ Nathan spoke quietly but with force.
‘I spoke to them yesterday, they assured me that the body and the replicator would be ready.’ His eyes sparkled with a playful intensity. ‘By this time tomorrow, you will be good as new. Just make it through tonight.’
Nathan nodded. Paul flashed a smile and left to greet his guests. Nathan watched him work. The priest was a different man in Dubai. Underneath, you could still see the humble, inquisitive man Nathan had met in London, but here Paul ran the show with a brash kind of confidence – a quality all leaders had to possess, he supposed.
‘Does Paul think the replication is for you?’ George said.
‘Yes.’ Nathan felt the lobby tilt.
George grabbed his arm. ‘Are you okay?’
Nathan stared back at him, glassy-eyed. ‘Just tired, I guess.’
He was reminded of a time when he was younger, when his car had run out of fuel. It had been a stupid mistake; he’d pushed his luck and missed a turn. From the top of a hill he saw the lights of a refuelling station in the distance and as the car coughed its last vapours he placed it in neutral and prayed. He remembered screaming, Come on, come on, over and over as the empty lump of metal rolled down the hill. Car horns screamed at him like roaring lions as they overtook. He was convinced he wouldn’t make it, was sure he would end up walking in the pouring rain, fuel can in hand. His panic was transformed into mild euphoria as he crossed the threshold of the station. He hadn’t once touched the brake. Instead he just let it roll and the car had come to a perfect stop right next to the pum
p.
‘Nathan, are you okay, really?’ Mohanty asked.
Nathan nodded, unsure how long he might have been staring vacantly into the distance. ‘I’m glad you came, George,’ he said. ‘I can’t tell you what it means.’
Chapter 49
Their room was five storeys up and offered a view of the city in all its contradicting beauty. It was basic, devoid of any character or trace of its previous life as a hotel, but it was clean. Against the wall were two iron beds, each with a small cabinet that didn’t match. That was all.
‘How did you know?’ Nathan asked George, who was unpacking his things methodically onto his bed.
‘Know what?’ George replied without looking up.
‘That border control were going stop us.’
‘The Histeridae.’
‘But I had it with me,’ Nathan replied. ‘It was in my rucksack.’
‘Once you have a connection with it, distance doesn’t matter so much.’ George shrugged. ‘I can use it as long as I’m near, within a certain range.’
‘But how did you know we were in trouble? How did you get there so quickly?’
‘I’d been in Dubai for a week.’ George replied. ‘After I received your mail I wanted to be sure not to miss you. I was all set to meet at the mosque, the place you suggested. That’s when I…’ He managed a smile but it became something awkward, an almost childlike expression, as if he was trying to explain something embarrassing. ‘I sensed you arriving,’ he said, staring off into the distance. ‘And once I connected to the Histeridae I tuned in to various things. One of them was that UN border control; they were focussed on your ship. I picked up their chatter and came as quickly as I could.’
‘I’m glad you did,’ Nathan said.
Mohanty smiled warmly. ‘I’m just sorry it took me so long to come to my senses. When I received your mail I was so relieved.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes.’ Mohanty was beaming, glowing with colour, almost as if his aura were singing. Nathan felt a sudden rush of happiness but it was gone quickly; the weight of the past and what was to come hung heavy in the air. George sighed and took a razor from his small case. He fiddled with it as he talked. ‘We were hit with a landslide a few months back and the mayor decided it was time to relocate. It wasn’t the first time we’d had to move, but it made me realise I didn’t want to do it again. I’ve been hiding, and for a long time that made sense, but when it came time to move again I realised something.’ He stopped, eyes darting and processing.
‘Realised what?’
‘That I missed Jacob, that I missed my old life.’ He took a long breath and exhaled loudly and deliberately. ‘I’ve been hibernating too, Nathan. Ironic, I suppose, my own version of sleeping my life away. I realised it was time to do something, to make things right. I needed to help you bring her back. For your sake, but also to make amends.’
‘I understand.’
‘I ran and Jacob died.’ George continued, the weight of his words seeming to pull at him. ‘I need to make it right.’
Nathan nodded. Making things right was all that mattered. Often, he thought, caring for others was an illusion. A person might appear to care for someone else, even fool him or herself, but deep down it was really about them. It was a selfish act. Yet, somewhere along the way that had changed for him, and for George. Nathan no longer felt any concern for himself; his entire existence was based on a singular goal, and it appeared George was with him all the way.
‘What’s going on with you, Nathan?’ George asked. ‘You don’t look good.’
‘I’m splintering,’ he said. ‘But you already knew that, didn’t you George?’
Mohanty shifted awkwardly. ‘Yes.’ He sighed. ‘I’m sorry. When I located you it was obvious. Look, the Histeridae doesn’t care what it shows me, it doesn’t have a conscience.’
Nathan shrugged. ‘It doesn’t matter anyway. You would have found out soon enough. I don’t have long left.’
‘I might be able to help,’ George suggested. ‘I could try?’
‘No, you need to save your strength. You’re going to need it.’
George’s face fell. ‘But I didn’t come here to save Jen only to watch you die.’
‘It’s not your fault.’ Nathan was back at the window. ‘None of this is your fault.’
A sour odour drifted from the bathroom. Both men wrinkled their noses. There was running water – which was a miracle in itself – but it didn’t smell good. Paul had warned them to use it for washing only.
Nathan changed the subject. ‘Can we can trust Paul?’
‘I haven’t searched him,’ Mohanty replied. ‘My focus was on you and not losing my mind in that…’ He glanced at Nathan’s battered rucksack. ‘That thing.’
‘Losing your mind? But you were amazing, George. You saved us, you seemed so in control.’
George looked like a little boy who was aware of his talent but afraid of the stage. ‘Let’s hope I’m as impressive tomorrow.’
‘Will you check?’ Nathan asked. ‘Search Paul, I mean.’
Mohanty rolled his shoulders, seemed in pain. ‘I try not to make a habit of delving around in people’s minds unless it's absolutely necessary, but in this case…’ He paused for a moment, as if having a private conversation with himself. ‘I guess we need to be sure.’
‘Thank you.’
‘The replicator is in Oman?’ George asked. ‘That’s where Paul is taking us tomorrow?’
‘Yes.’
‘And her body will be ready?’
Nathan nodded. ‘I hope so. Paul seems confident his contact will deliver.’ His brow narrowed. ‘You sure about this, George? I mean, a replication and mind swap is enough to get you the death penalty.’
‘When it comes to death, we’re all in a queue.’ George smiled warmly at him and nodded. ‘We can do this, Nathan.’
‘Even though it’s never been done before?’
George stared at him with an intensity that reminded Nathan of the first time they met. ‘You need to listen to me very carefully,’ he said softly. ‘When we lost Theo I vowed to never use that bloody thing again, but I was close, had his hand in mine.’ George grit his teeth and almost snarled. ‘We are not going to fail this time. She’s coming back.’ He paused, seemed unsure of what to say next. Nathan knew why. He’d almost said the words that had been playing on both of their minds for the last few days.
Back from the dead.
Nathan remembered the story about Theo, the gifted student who had died after using the Histeridae, how they’d tried to bring him back into a clone, but failed. Theo was lost for good, drifting forever, for all George knew.
Nathan felt the terrible, sinking fear of failure. Jennifer Logan had been gone from this earth for nearly four years. Was there really any hope of finding her, of bringing her back? He thought of her and focussed on nothing but her face. They would only get one chance, and this time tomorrow they would be in the final hours.
Chapter 50
Paul Bendiksen counted again: at least a hundred people, the largest gathering he’d addressed since becoming the leader of the UK cell. He glanced at the doors, at the men designated to security, and knew it wasn’t really enough, that soon they would need to double their numbers. It wasn’t something he should be worrying about tonight, he reminded himself. This evening needed a positive, unifying message. There was a tangible, rippling undercurrent of energy in the room, one that had been building for weeks.
There were no announcements; he simply leaned against the podium and waited. He was processing, making final deliberations on how much to reveal. People gradually noticed him, there were a few shouts and even the beginnings of applause but then slowly the group began to calm, voices shushed one another. Eventually the noisy chatter that echoed through the large atrium became an unearthly silence broken only by the occasional cough or whisper.
Paul smiled and began.
‘Ladies and Gentlemen,’ he said, his voice filling
the atrium easily. ‘My name is Paul Bendiksen. Some of you may also know me as the Priest.’ A ripple of laughter, then silence again. ‘I want to welcome you to Standpoint and our first official leadership meeting here in Dubai.’ A few began to cheer and applaud but Paul waved his hands down, quieting the crowd. ‘I know many of you have travelled far to be here. You are all welcome. Some of you will be staying on with us permanently. You are also very welcome.’
His mastery of oration was honed, the years of service to the church paying off as he faced the crowd. He visualised his unwritten speech opening up like an empty road filled with promise. He shifted on his feet and peered out across the sea of hungry faces. There were a few he recognised, a mixed group of young and old.
‘I don’t know you all individually,’ he continued, ‘but I know why you are here. Some of you will have fled your homes, been forced to leave, no doubt; others – like some of my friends here – finally woke up. One thing is for sure.’ Paul moved closer to the microphone, a small black stick protruding from the podium stand. ‘All of you are here because you know you’re being lied to, have experienced the ingenious ways that Hibernation can manipulate.’ He frowned and paused, staring out quizzically. ‘Millions are under its spell and still I ask you: why?’
The group shook their heads, as if their anger – only just under control – was brimming against the lip of an invisible container, one that was about to spill over.
Paul raised his voice further still. ‘For years they dreamed of controlling us. And now they have finally managed it, they have suppressed the majority.’ He wagged his finger dramatically. ‘But not us. We know, and it is time to show them we aren’t going to lie down and sleep like the rest.’ He reached down behind the podium and pulled a small object into view. It was the drive that Nathan had given him. ‘I hold in my hand evidence, real, hard evidence of how the Government developed and deployed Hibernation with the explicit aim of total control. We may be small but our numbers are growing.’ Paul covered his eyes, briefly searching the back of the room. Nathan followed his gaze and saw Alex and Pascale. They looked back at him, obviously scared but with defiance in their eyes. ‘Awareness is happening across the globe, and I ask you, what does it take?’ He paused and eyed the group. ‘What does it really take to force change?’