‘It is not good news, boss,’ he said through gritted teeth. ‘The policeman failed to turn up at the rendezvous point. The girl and the painting are missing.’ He knew he should have done the job himself, the policeman had always been a liability. A greedy, corrupt little man with only his own self interests at heart. Cossack had no idea why Hades had kept him as an asset for so long, his usefulness had long since expired.
‘Find them!’ Hades shouted down the phone, his face reddened. ‘This is no time to fuck me around!’
‘I’m not, boss. We need to contact Kerberos. I have nothing else to go on, I am in the dark.’
‘He cannot be contacted, you know that, it is too dangerous. We cannot risk exposing him, especially now. I can assure you that he will alert me using the usual channels when it is safe for him to do so.’ Hades paced over to the large window in his office and looked down onto the Tower of London.
‘It may be too late by then,’ Cossack said.
Hades took a deep breath and shut his eyes, he rubbed his forehead. All these problems were giving him a headache. ‘What about the friend at the museum? The policeman said they stopped there to meet someone. Darren, I think.’
‘He’s not there and I do not have any more details about him. I could return to the girl’s flat, but there was no one in when I walked past again earlier.’
‘No, it may be being watched. But you have her laptop, yes?’
‘Yes, boss.’
‘Good. Find a decent hotel for the night, treat yourself. Search the laptop. Try the obvious keywords, it may reveal something useful. Hopefully tomorrow we will have more information from our assets.’
‘There is a hotel around the corner, not far from the museum. I will get Nike to meet me there. Then together we will plan tomorrow’s work.’
‘Don’t fail me, Cossack. Remember, your reward awaits you on the island.’ Hades hung up and returned to his desk. He picked his glass of whisky up and sighed deeply. Feeling the tension build in his neck and shoulders he longed for Amber and her skills. But it was too late to call her in, he’d already sent her and her friends to the island. At least he had something to look forward to when it was all over.
The situation was getting out of hand, it worried him. They were so close to the end game, so close, yet it seemed so far away. He wished he could accelerate the plans and finish it once and for all. He downed the rest of the whisky.
‘Why the hell not?’ he said. Impulsively, he grabbed his phone and tapped on a Skype contact.
‘Hephaestus, I’m ashamed to admit it, but I’m getting nervous,’ he said. He sat down and rested his head on the back of the chair.
‘You better not be having second thoughts,’ Hephaestus queried.
Hades laughed. ‘On the contrary, I want to bring your part of the plan forward. To Friday.’
‘Friday? Not all our people will have left by then. Is there not a risk to them?’
‘There is no risk. Our modelling shows there will be a short delay before it kicks in.’
‘Then it will be done just as you wish, Hades.’
Relieved somewhat, Hades ended the call. He tapped to call the Poseidon. ‘Are things running to plan with you?’ he asked.
‘Yes, of course,’ Poseidon said sounding tired. He had arrived at the island a few hours earlier to oversee the arrivals and had worked nonstop since. ‘The last of the slave ships has arrived and they are being processed as we speak.’
The Brotherhood had identified the need for a number of sustainable labourers. While all the intellectual jobs like teaching, building, and managing the farms would be carried out by the chosen, a slave race was required to be at the beck and call of their masters. Their solution was to advertise for manual workers in third world countries. Candidates were lured on the promise of comparatively well paid work and housing in a modern location. Once on the island they would be assessed and selected into teams based on their sex and their strengths. Each of the teams would be informed of the duties expected from them and trained accordingly. In addition there would be a carefully managed breeding program to maintain an effective workforce that would meet the needs of the future generations. Everyone in their organisation had a purpose, the Brotherhood believed that people were happier with a direction in life, even if they hadn’t chosen it themselves. Skills would be passed down father to son, mother to daughter. Jobs would be inherited and jobs would be for life.
‘Good. Any trouble from the locals?’ Hades asked feeling better for making the call.
‘No, but we are fully prepared to deal with them if there is. As a precaution we have cut off all lines of communication to and from the island. Only the satellite phones work and our security team is monitoring for any unauthorised signals.’
‘Sounds like you have everything in hand, well done. I will see you soon, my friend.’ Hades pocketed his phone and strolled over to the window.
He gazed out over the vast city. The sun had set, a million street lights sparkled in the distance. Wisps of bright orange clouds hung low in the sky. He smiled to himself, the fate of the world was at his mercy. But there would be no mercy.
Chapter 20
2205hrs – Cambridge
The waiter brought over another glass of champagne for Ella. He laid it down on the table and took the empty glasses away. William topped up his wine glass with the last of the claret. He swilled it around, raised it to his nose and smelled it deeply before taking a drink.
Ella drank from her champagne flute. ‘You’re not a wine snob, are you?’ she asked.
‘No. I like what I like,’ he replied and put the glass down.
‘Any women in your life? There must be a few, a handsome man like you. And don’t tell me you don’t have time for that sort of thing.’
It caught him by surprise, he hadn’t expected that question. Ella saw something in his expression.
‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘I didn’t mean to pry.’
‘You’re not,’ he said. It was the kind of question William would not normally allow himself to answer to anyone other than the psychologists he had been forced to confess to. Maybe it was the wine, maybe he was just fed up with holding it all in, but for some reason he felt comfortable talking to Ella about anything. ‘I was in love, once. A girl I met in the Army, Emma. She was a linguist, an Arabic speaker. When we first met she worked in the Special Signals Group. She translated battlefield intercepts, a safe office based job. But, talented as she was, she was soon selected for work in the field. We were both deployed to Afghanistan at the same time, which we thought was a stroke of luck; we might not have seen each other for a year otherwise. We worked out of the same camp in Helmand even though we were in different units, so we got to see each other pretty often. We enjoyed the tour actually. We even got engaged while we were there. I asked her under the stars in the desert one night. You’d never believe how many stars there are when you are literally in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, we planned to marry the following summer. She started to plan it almost immediately, she wanted it done in a Scottish castle.’ William laughed briefly. He finished his wine. ‘But it wasn’t to be. Fate had other plans.’
‘So what happened?’ she asked.
There was a distant look in William’s eyes, he seemed to look straight through Ella. ‘Her job was to debrief prisoners, villagers and anyone else who could provide information. I was part of a special forces unit, it was mostly surveillance but we had the occasional close protection job to do. One day there was a walk-in at the camp, a local who said some Talibs had gone to one of the villages looking for new recruits. Usually young boys taken against their will that they could brainwash. A rapid reaction force was quickly assembled to get to the village. I was on it as close protection, Emma was there as a translator. We left at dawn the next day.’
Ella sensed that William was holding the emotions back, his lips were taut and tense. His voice was different too, he seemed colder, distant, like he wasn’t really with her.
Ella listened with painful comprehension of how this was going to end. Tears formed in her eyes.
‘She told me she was pregnant,’ he whispered.
Ella took out a tissue and dabbed her eyes.
‘We set off along the track roads to the target village, I’d done that kind of thing a dozen of times before, it was routine. But for some reason I knew it was wrong. She should never have been on the team. I had this horrible nagging doubt, but I ignored it. Maybe it was because of what she’d told me, maybe I . . . I don’t know. Anyway, I told myself not to worry, we had aerial cover from Desert Hawk and there were half a dozen special forces troopers with us.
‘A few miles before the village, the convoy slowed, there was a blockage on the road. We took the usual precautions and cleared the way safely. But then, a few metres further down the road, there was an explosion. A road side bomb. They had let the first vehicle past, then took out the second one. Bastards.’
‘Oh my God, I’m so sorry,’ Ella said empathetically.
‘I broke with protocol and rushed to the scene, no one could have held me back. But the wagon was just a twisted, burning mess. No one stood a chance. Shrapnel ripped through it like it was tin foil. At least it was quick, she never suffered.’
Ella didn’t know what to say, instead she reached out and held his hand. He skin was warm but he was shaking.
‘That was it for me with the Army, I’d had it. So I left and now I’m here.’ He composed himself. ‘Sorry.’
Ella smiled sympathetically and squeezed his hand. ‘Don’t apologise.’
William regarded Ella in the low light. Her face was kind, her eyes had a warmth to them. He wondered how she could have ended up in such a messy situation, she looked so innocent.
The waiter that had been tending to them sidled up to their table. ‘Would you like another drink?’
Ella looked towards William for an answer. But the one he gave wasn’t the one she had hoped for.
‘I think we’re done for the night.’ William rose from his seat. ‘We have an early start tomorrow.’
‘All good things must come to an end,’ she muttered under her breath.
While William gathered the notes and the painting, Ella walked ahead into the busy bar. She was slightly unsteady in her new boots, the champagne hadn’t helped. She stumbled on a step between the two rooms and nearly fell over. Embarrassed, she turned see if William had seen. He hadn’t. When she turned back towards the bar, she walked straight into someone.
‘Careful little lady,’ the man said as Ella bounced off his large chest. His accent was Russian.
She looked up at him. He had short blond hair. ‘Oh my God, I’m so sorry,’ she said and pushed herself away from him.
The man ignored her and continued on his way to the bar. Ella navigated her way out of the busy room and into lobby.
‘Ella,’ William said as he caught up with her. ‘Wait.’
She turned at the bottom of the stairs and smiled drunkenly at him. William took her by the arm and walked with her up the stairs.
‘Can you do something important for me?’ he asked when they reached her room.
‘Of course. Anything for my handsome hero,’ she replied, her words were slightly slurred.
‘Call Darren, or text him,’ he said. ‘Tell him you’ll meet him at the museum early tomorrow. Say it’s important, but don’t tell him anything about what’s happened or where you are.’
‘Why?’ Ella asked. She repeatedly stabbed her key card at the slot in the door but missed each time.
‘I need to speak to him,’ William said. He took the key card from her and slid it in the slot in one go, there was click and he pushed the door open. ‘Can you do that for me?’
‘Only if you say the magic word,’ she said teasingly with a wide grin. She leant on the door frame half in and half out of the room and waved her finger at him.
William rolled his eyes. ‘Please.’
‘Wrong. Try again.’ Ella drifted closer to William. She had a hazy, unfocused look in her eyes.
William placed his arm behind her back. Ella’s smile faded, she looked into his eyes encouragingly. With his other arm he reached down behind her legs and in one quick move he lifted her up into his arms. Ella yelped and laughed. He marched over to her bed and gently placed her down on it.
‘Goodnight, Ella,’ he said and walked back to the door. ‘I’ll see you for breakfast. I’ll give you a wakeup call at seven. And remember to call Darren. Okay?’
‘Got it boss.’ Lying on bed, Ella saluted drunkenly. When the door closed she sighed and stared to the ceiling. The room began to spin.
Thursday
Hemera Dios ‘day of Zeus’
Chapter 21
0715hrs – Cambridge
Ella was already up, showered and was getting dressed when William phoned her room. They agreed to meet for breakfast in the hotel at seven prompt. William was sitting at the table reading a newspaper when Ella arrived, late.
‘I’m so sorry for getting drunk last night,’ she said. She sat down and picked up the breakfast menu.
William noticed that she wore much less make-up than the previous night. But she had still made an effort to disguise her appearance with her hair and clothes.
‘You deserved to let your hair down after a day like that. Most people would have fallen apart,’ he said. ‘You did really well.’
Ella had a light continental breakfast, while William tucked in to a triple portion of black pudding with beans and fried eggs.
‘Did you call Darren?’ William asked.
Ella gasped, her eyes widened. She reached for her handbag. ‘I’ll do it now,’ she said hurriedly. ‘I doubt he’ll be up yet anyway.’
‘I’m going to pop over to the museum after this to check a few things.’
‘Great,’ Ella beamed.
‘You, however, need to stay in the car,’ William added. ‘I don’t want you anywhere near the place. Understand?’
Ella’s face fell, but she nodded. ‘And what are we doing after that?’ she asked.
‘We need to pick up your father’s ashes, then we’ll go to the graveyard. I’ll have a look around while you can carry out his wishes. Is that okay with you?’
‘Yes, sure.’ She looked at him and frowned. ‘You really think there’s something there?’
‘I’m counting on it.’
*
After breakfast, they grabbed their things and met at reception. William checked out while Ella used the hotel computer to locate the crematorium the lawyer had told her about.
‘Did you find it?’ William asked when he joined her in the small business centre.
Ella looked up from the desk. The printer in the corner noisily churned out some paper. ‘Yes. I’ve printed a map of the church at Everton too. Have a look at this.’ She waved William over to the computer.
Before he realised what she was doing it was too late. She had typed in the words Biblos and Aletheia into Google. William was about to reach out and stop her, but she quickly clicked on the one and only result. The web page loaded up. It was the same as before, just four words. Below the text was the symbol.
‘“The Truth is Coming”,’ William read. He typed the web address into his phone and emailed it to Ollie. It worried him, for he knew of Web sites that were used to track people who visited it. Sting sites, an old trick for a modern world.
‘Right, get your things. We’re leaving right now,’ William ordered.
Slightly taken aback by his urgent tone, Ella pouted but didn’t say anything. She threw her rucksack over her shoulder and th
ey slipped quietly out of the hotel into the cool morning air.
Chapter 22
0730hrs – Cambridge
At the small desk in his hotel room, Cossack sat with Ella’s dismantled laptop and his portable forensic IT equipment. He had left the forensic software to analyse the 120GB hard drive over night. Now that he was alone, he was picking through the results.
From his window he could see the Fitzwilliam Museum, a few people were walking in the entrance already. He checked his watch; she would be there by now, waiting like a spider in its web, patient, but deadly. He looked over to the bed and smiled. He could still smell her perfume.
His mobile phone buzzed on the desk. ‘Boss, good morning,’ he said sounding unusually cheery.
‘Have you found anything?’ Hades demanded getting straight to the point.
‘I have searched the girl’s laptop using the keywords. After she searched the Internet for the Biblos Aletheia, she made another search. For a name.’
‘A name? Who?’
‘Francis Perryvall.’
Hades searched his mind. He knew he had heard of it before. But where? ‘I know that name.’
‘Is he one of the Brotherhood, boss?’ Cossack enquired. Although he had discovered the real names of the current inner circle, he could never reveal that knowledge to Hades.
‘No,’ Hades said dismissively. Then it came to him: ‘Ah, but he was, a long, long time ago.’
*
William parked up on the street opposite the Fitzwilliam Museum and scanned the area using his mirrors before taking out his phone. Ella tried calling Darren once more from her own mobile. He hadn’t answered any of her calls or texts all morning and she was getting worried. William, who had been furiously typing away an email, noticed her frustrations and looked up at her questioningly.
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