‘Thank you, but I doubt we’ll be here long enough to appreciate the place,’ William said. ‘What we do need though, is a briefing room with access to maps and secure comms. And plenty of strong coffee.’
The Captain smiled and placed his hand on William’s shoulder. ‘You got it, sir.’
The team grabbed their bags and equipment from the Chinook and assembled on the deck. The troopers had all donned matching sunglasses.
‘These are yours by the way,’ Paddy said to William. He handed him a huge green Bergen and a KAC PDW rifle. ‘I hope the clothes fit, but I doubt it.’ He grinned.
‘One size – fits nobody,’ William replied cynically.
When the team was ready they followed the Captain past the rows of aircraft towards the Island. Max struggled to carry his chunky, heavy duty briefcase. He kept stopping and switching hands, his face was covered in sweat. Paddy, William and the troopers each had a Bergen on their backs, and their weapons slung over their chests. Despite the weight, they made it look effortless.
Paddy grinned as he looked over an F-22 stealth fighter. ‘I love this,’ he shouted to William over the noise. ‘This is what it’s all about.’ He slapped his rifle like it was an old friend he hadn’t seen for a while.
It was refreshingly cool inside the ship’s command centre. Compared to the relentless racket of the deck it was quiet too. In the background the air conditioning hummed continuously. Captain Godlasky guided them through the narrow grey corridors to their designated, temporary command room. It was small but had everything they required for their short stay. Heavy duty computers, monitors and communications equipment lined one side of the room, while portholes on the other side looked out to sea. There was a long white table at the centre surrounded by flimsy metal chairs that were painted pale blue.
‘It’s yours for as long as you need it,’ the Captain said. ‘Call me if you want anything.’ He walked to the door and paused. Then he turned and threw up a sharp salute. ‘Good luck men.’
*
It took Paddy little more than a few minutes to set up his field laptop and establish a secure communications link back to both the Phantom mission control room and F-Branch. Real-time video footage from the spy plane was streamed into their makeshift operations room. The spy craft’s powerful camera had locked onto its target and it followed the Ekranoplan effortlessly as it sped over the ocean oblivious to its watcher.
‘Where is it now?’ William asked. He had changed into a set of green and black combat clothes. On the table he unrolled a large map of the Mediterranean and sat down next to Paddy and Rupert.
‘They’re just between Sardinia and Tunisia, still heading east,’ Paddy said. ‘But they’re slowing down. Speed is now one-hundred knots.’
‘Heading for Sicily?’ William said pouring over the map. He picked up the handheld satellite phone and called the office.
‘Ollie, we need to know what naval ships are near Sicily and Malta,’ he commanded. ‘Find something that can provide us with air transport and fire support. Put them on standby for immediate action.’
Max had made himself useful, he returned to the room with a tray full of coffee, bottles of water and a stack of sandwiches and chocolate bars. The men needed no invitation to tuck in. The food didn’t last long.
Taking regular location updates from the live tracking, William had plotted the path of the Ekranoplan on the map. With the remains of a sandwich in one hand and a coffee mug in the other, Max leaned over the table and glanced at the map. The path of the Ekranoplan was angled towards the northern end of Sicily.
‘They could be heading for the Aeolian Islands,’ said Max with his mouth full. He slurped some coffee down.
William and Paddy looked at each other then at Max.
‘Why do you say that?’ William asked.
Max shrugged and swallowed the rest of his sandwich. ‘Seems logical to me that the ideal place to both hide from scrutiny and protect yourself from an impending global catastrophe, is on a remote island,’ he said. ‘It would need to be small enough to easily secure, but large enough to sustain the survivors for at least a few months. That path you’ve drawn is pointing directly to the Aeolian Islands, a volcanic archipelago just north of Sicily. I went there some years ago, just a day trip during a cruise. Their mythical founder is the Greek god Aeolus, the god of the winds. It’s one of the stories in Homer’s epic poem.’
‘I have a feeling about this,’ William said to Paddy. He wasted no time and picked up the phone again. ‘Ollie, I need some real-time satellite images of the Aeolian Islands. Email them through to Paddy. And Ollie, I need them ten minutes ago.’
*
By the time the satellite photos came through, it was clear that the Ekranoplan was heading for somewhere along the northern coast of Sicily, the Aeolian Islands were looking a likely possibility.
‘I think we’ve found it,’ William said looking around from one of the computer screens. ‘One of the islands is surrounded by sea planes and large ships.’
‘That’s not unusual for a tropical island, William,’ Paddy said.
‘But there is no one at all on the beaches. And look, there’s another craft that looks much like the Ekranoplan.’ William zoomed in on the strange vessel, it had been moored like a boat to an orange buoy. ‘There can’t be too many of those around.’
‘That must be it,’ Paddy said brightening up.
‘How far is the target from that location?
‘Thirty minutes, tops, at its current speed.’
The satellite phone rang, William answered it. He listened for a moment then shouldered it keeping the line open. ‘Ollie has found a naval support ship just north of Malta, the RFA Largs Bay,’ he said to Paddy and Rupert. ‘She’s heading to an exercise near Cyprus and they have a fully armed Merlin helicopter on deck.’
‘That’ll come in handy,’ said Rupert.
‘Right. Decision made,’ William said. He passed some orders to Ollie, he wanted the Largs Bay to change course and head for the southern tip of Italy. After he hung up, he stood up and addressed the men.
‘Listen in everyone. Be ready to move in ten minutes. We still need to keep operational security, so no one but us gets to know the actual target location. No one but us, got it? Paddy, contact Phantom-one, tell them to keep their eyes on the target and get them to send all their data directly to Ollie, we’ll be out of touch for a while. We’ll need Ollie to guide us in when we reach the island. Rupert, make sure your men have everything they need.’ He walked to the door.
‘Where are you going?’ Paddy asked.
‘To see God. We need to borrow a plane. And we could do with a miracle or two.’
Chapter 39
1710hrs – the Aeolian Islands
A warm temperate breeze blew in from the sea and washed over the volcanic island. The air, heavy with moisture, flowed over the white sandy beaches and seeped up through the sub-tropical forest. Wet foliage glimmered in the shafts of bright sunlight that broke through the occasional gaps in the clouds. The wind took the air further inland towards the centre where it was pushed higher and higher by the rising land. At the peak of the rocky volcanic mountain white wisps of mist licked at the dormant beast.
Back by the shore, three male members of the Society of Eden watched in silence from the wooden pier as the Ekranoplan ploughed gently through the calm waters into the island’s only port. Each of the watchers was dressed in an identical dark red uniform with a black leather belt and a holstered pistol on the right hand side. All three had short black hair and wore sunglasses. Epaulettes on their shoulders had numerous gold triangles on them that displayed their rank. Above the left breast of their uniforms was a black badge with their symbol emblazoned on it.
Together they secured the Ekranoplan to the pier’s bollards and pushed the gangplank to the craft’s cabin door. When the hatch opened the elite security team stood to attention and simultaneously saluted. Their salute was a rapid, rigid movement of the r
ight arm, fist clenched, across the chest. The arm was held so that the fist covered their badge.
Cossack emerged from the Ekranoplan first, he held Ella firmly by the arm. He dragged her behind him down the gangplank onto the pier. When he reached terra firma he nodded to the men and they sharply lowered their arms and stood easy.
Ella squinted in the bright sunlight. The heat of sun was intense on her face. The wooden pier was built into the black and grey rocks of the coast. On each side the water was crystal clear, she could see dozens of tropical fish swimming through it. Beyond the pier was a concrete path that led into a dense forest, the forest hugged the coastline as far as the eye could see in each direction. To her right, further along the coast, was a narrow sandy beach. It was deserted. The sea lapped calmly at the shore.
‘Take her to the medical centre, she needs to be vaccinated,’ Cossack ordered to the men. ‘Then have her cleaned up and prepared. Get her a uniform. Hades will collect her later from a temporary secure room. She must be watched and escorted at all times.’
‘What rank and division will she be in, sir?’ asked the leader of the security team.
Cossack looked Ella up and down and sneered. ‘She is one of the chosen,’ he spat. ‘She is to serve in the history section of the education division.’
‘What?’ Ella cried. Confused and frightened, she tried to speak, she had a million questions to ask all at once. But the words failed to form quickly enough.
The team leader nodded his understanding and saluted once more. The two other security men grabbed Ella by each arm. She struggled and shouted protestations, but they only increased their grip on her. She was led away up the path and into the forest.
*
After a short journey on foot through the forest, Ella and the security team came to a large entrance that was cut into the side of a rocky cliff. Huge elaborate marble pillars flanked the open entrance, above them was a triangular gable. Ella didn’t have time to make out the complex artistry that decorated the structure before they walked her under it and into the underground complex. Just inside, guarding the entrance, were two armed soldiers dressed in green combat uniforms. They saw them in with a nod to the security team leader.
The large entrance hall was grand to say the least. The floor was made from large black and white tiles. Huge, complex mosaics decorated the white walls. Here and there along the walls were larger than life white marble statues of various Greek gods. Most looked brand new, but a couple were worn, grey and clearly ancient.
‘What is this place?’ Ella demanded. Hot and flustered, sweat dripped off her forehead, she shook her arms away from the men and wiped her face with her sleeve.
The team leader frowned at her. ‘Don’t you know? This is the home of the Society of Eden,’ he said proudly. ‘It’s the closest thing to paradise on this Earth.’
Ella noticed his manic grin; she’d seen the likes of it before. One day, whilst sheltering from the rain in the cloisters at Neville’s Court, Trinity, she was accosted by a religious cult member on a recruitment drive. As she lent harmlessly on one of the Doric columns, he preached relentlessly to her. Despite her obvious disinterest he continuously tried to persuade her to join their ranks. She was a sinner, she was lost, they would help her find her way. As he spoke he had, she observed, the demented and joyless smile of the brainwashed.
With the security escort never more than a few feet away, Ella was taken through the wide and brightly lit stone corridors of the complex. The tunnels were cut deep into the mountain. For the most part the surfaces were smooth, but in places rough bare rock was exposed. The air was cool, she could hear the low hum of the air conditioning system in the background. Draped down from the tunnel walls every now and again were red flags that had their symbol emblazoned on them.
They passed several other people on their way. The strangers paid no particular attention to her. Each person, she noticed, was dressed in a uniform that was similar in style to the security team, but in two different colours: pure white, and dull dark grey. She observed that there were more greys than whites, and that the greys were mainly of east Asian appearance while those in white were from all of the world’s races. Another thing she noted was that the women in white were, on the whole, what she considered to be young, slim and attractive. They also passed more armed soldiers who saluted the team leader the same strange salute as they passed. Rapidly, Ella began to work out the hierarchy. The fact that there was one worried her.
The door to the medical centre was open when they arrived. One of the security minions knocked loudly three times and walked in. The room was impressive, no expense had been spared on its construction. Within the large, well lit chamber was a small fortune in state-of-the-art medical equipment. The white, tiled room was spotless, dozens of spotless stainless steel cabinets and shelves were filled with books, bottles and small boxes. There were several of other rooms which led off from the main chamber. Ella thought that it would have been the envy of any hospital in any country.
A doctor appeared and approached the security team. ‘Can I help you?’ he said with a welcoming smile. Dressed in a traditional white doctor’s coat, Ella noticed that he wore the white uniform under it. He looked no older than twenty-five, he was well tanned and spoke with a European accent. He looked at Ella and smiled. His strong, handsome features put her at ease.
‘A new recruit. One of Hades’ girls,’ explained the security team leader. ‘She needs vaccinated.’
The doctor nodded and turned to Ella. His eyes were pale blue, his face was kind. He reminded her of someone.
‘Please follow me,’ the doctor said softly. ‘This won’t take a moment, but it’s important, for it will save your life.’
Ella followed him over to a silver cabinet. Behind the glass doors were silver trays that held hundreds of tiny glass vials, each were full of a clear liquid. The doctor tapped a four digit code into the keypad on the side of the door. The panel beeped twice, the doctor cursed under his breath. He tried it again, much slower this time. A different tone sounded and the cabinet opened. He reached in and grabbed a vial and then attached it to chrome device that looked much like a toy gun.
‘This won’t hurt,’ he reassured her. ‘It uses a pad with thousands of microscopic needles to deliver the serum into the skin. You won’t feel a thing. I promise.’
When he moved towards Ella with the gun, she flinched and backed away. She glanced nervously at the security team who were watching her.
‘It’s okay, don’t be nervous,’ the doctor said. ‘You are one of us. We will not harm you. Please, allow me.’
Ella acquiesced and stepped forward. Firmly, the doctor pushed the end of the gun to the side of Ella’s neck and squeezed the trigger. She tensed from a natural reflex, but she didn’t feel any pain. The sensation was odd, her skin tingled. She looked into the doctor’s eyes as he worked, he smiled at her again. She wondered how such a pleasant, bright man could end up a member of the Society, hidden away on a secret island. It was madness, she thought, she couldn’t figure it out.
‘All done,’ he said brightly as if she were a child. ‘If you need anything, anything at all, you know where to find me.’ He winked at her and walked away.
*
Once more Ella found herself being led briskly through the tunnels by the security team. But she walked with them now, as opposed to being dragged. She strode alongside the team leader. A cold and unfriendly man, he hadn’t said anything more than a few barked orders to her along the way. The two others followed close behind in complete silence.
They took her into a storeroom where she was measured up by a young Chinese looking girl who was dressed in the grey version of the uniform. Once done, the girl scurried away into the back of the store. Moments later the same girl returned with an armful of new clothes. Ella took them in both arms. They looked like the white uniforms she had seen some of the others wear.
‘Thank you,’ Ella said to the girl. ‘What’s your name?’
‘No talking,’ barked the security lead. The girl lowered her head, her eyes were fixed to the floor.
‘Come. We’re done here. This way.’ The leader beckoned to her.
At the door, Ella glanced back at the girl. Keeping her head down, the girl raised her eyes briefly up towards Ella. There was an aura of fear and sadness about the girl that sent a chill up Ella’s spine.
*
After another silent journey through the maze of tunnels, Ella was shown to her room. She was told again that it was only temporary, seeing as she was a newcomer, her proper living quarters were still being prepared. She was instructed to freshen up, change into the uniform she’d been given and wait until someone came for her. When the security team left they shut the door behind them. Ella heard the click of a lock. She raced over to the door but there wasn’t even a handle on it. She banged on it and shouted, but there was no answer. Still holding the clothes they had given her she leaned with her back to the door and looked around her prison. She wanted the tears to come, but they failed to materialise. Mentally she kicked herself. Instead of wallowing in her self-pity, she told herself to study her new surroundings and look for another way out. She threw the clothes onto the bed.
The basic room was small and narrow, there were no windows. At the far end was a door that led into a modest ensuite bathroom. The solid stone walls were bare save for a full length mirror on one side and one of their obligatory red flags on the other. Pushed against one wall was a small wooden dressing table, there were a few drawers on each side. In one corner of the room there was a single bed, it had been neatly made up with white sheets and two pillows. For some reason Ella thought of the Egyptian linen and the beautifully soft pillows from the hotel she’d stayed in with William. It seemed like a million years ago now.
The Secret of Hades' Eden Page 31