Ella watched William and frowned at him.
‘Let’s move,’ William said to Rupert.
Rupert nodded to Ish who was standing by the tunnel that led further into the complex.
Ish took out a grenade, threw it down the tunnel into the darkness, and shouted, ‘Fire in the hole.’
‘Cover your ears,’ William said quickly to Ella and Max.
There was a loud bang. Instantly Ish and Fitz ran down the corridor with weapons drawn. Several shots were fired.
‘Clear,’ one of them shouted back.
The rest of the team followed then in. William and Paddy were last in line and covered the rear. They passed two dead soldiers whose bodies lay on the floor of the corridor. Max stared at them as he passed. William ushered him along, then bent down and checked their faces.
‘There’s something I need to tell you,’ Ella said quietly to William as they continued along the tunnel. ‘I killed Hades.’ Her eyes were cold and sincere.
‘Good,’ said William without breaking pace. ‘And Cossack?’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t know, I guess he’s still alive. I haven’t seen him since I was taken here.’
The lights flickered for a second and then went out all at once. The team stopped. For a moment it was pitch black, a deep blackness that sucked the air from Ella’s lungs. The hum of the air conditioning wound down until it stopped. Ella gasped and grabbed William’s arm. The troopers froze and listened. Seconds later the emergency lighting kicked in and the corridor was lit up again. It was significantly dimmer than before and the air conditioning remained off. From the walls up ahead the reflection of an orange light flashed on and off.
‘Fire in the hole,’ Ish shouted again.
There was another loud crack from further down the tunnel. Faint screams could be heard too, raised voices and rapid footsteps echoed in the distance. More shots were fired by the troopers, but only as a warning to clear the way. With no further resistance they continued along the corridor until they reached the room marked M-101.
‘Is this it?’ William asked Ella.
In the half-light she studied the markings on the side of the door, nodded, and said, ‘Yes, definitely.’
‘It’s locked,’ Fitz said after heaving himself against the door.
‘Blow it open,’ Rupert immediately replied. He waved everyone back to a safe distance, while Fitz took out a door charge from his Bergen and secured it to the door.
‘Firing,’ Fitz shouted as he ran towards them.
Seconds later there was a loud bang, dust and debris filled the air. Fitz and Thembe ran forward, Fitz kicked the remainder of the door in, and Thembe stormed into the room.
‘Clear!’ he shouted. The rest of the team followed him in.
The room was much darker than when Ella was last there. It took her a moment to orientate herself. She remembered the layout and ran over to the cabinet where the doctor had taken the vaccine from.
‘This is it,’ she said. ‘But it needs a code to open it.’
‘No, it doesn’t,’ Fitz said confidently. He took out a short, black crowbar from the side of his Bergen and went to work on the cabinet.
Max cleared a space on a table and set his equipment up. From the silver case he had been hauling around, he pulled out a laptop and an array of other, less recognisable items.
Fitz wrenched open the cabinet. Inside were the trays with the little vials.
Ella picked one up. ‘This is the vaccine,’ she said.
William grabbed a handful of vials and gave them to Max.
‘How long will it take to do whatever you’re doing?’ he asked.
Max screwed his sweaty face up. ‘An hour, maybe longer,’ he said reluctantly.
Paddy cursed and shook his head.
Max turned back to his instruments. He broke open a vial and poured the liquid onto a small black tray that was connected to the laptop. Max could feel everyone’s eyes on him, but tried to ignore it.
Paddy turned to Rupert and said, ‘We’re going to be here a while.’
‘Secure the exit,’ Rupert ordered to his men. Ish and Thembe instantly headed to the door.
As Max opened more vials and poured their contents into various parts of his equipment, William joined him at the table.
‘It’s a state-of-the-art lab-on-a-chip, used for bio-molecular analysis,’ Max said without looking up. ‘A series of microarrays for DNA fingerprinting and liquid chromatography. It will analyse the chemical make-up of the vaccine and send the results back to the lab.’
‘Once we’re topside and it can see the satellite, that is,’ William added.
‘Yes,’ agreed Max.
‘We’re sitting ducks,’ Paddy snapped, he paced around the room clutching his rifle. ‘Can’t we just take the vaccine and go?’
‘The place is empty, Paddy,’ William reassured. ‘They’ve all fled.’
‘I wouldn’t be so sure of that.’
‘We can’t leave until I am one-hundred percent sure that I have the right material,’ Max piped up. ‘It would be disastrous for us all to get it wrong at this stage. Just give me some space, some time.’
Paddy glared at him; Max snapped his head back to his laptop screen.
Ella fidgeted with one of the vials. She put it down and looked to William. She bit her lip and narrowed her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped, and walked away.
William noticed her reaction and approached her. ‘Don’t worry about what you did,’ he said sympathetically. ‘You did what you had to do.’
She looked into his eyes and nodded. ‘There’s something else,’ she said quietly.
‘What is it?’ William asked, concerned now seeing the turmoil in her face.
‘There’s something I need to get,’ she said and bit her lip. ‘But it’s in another room.’ She winced and looked down when she said it.
‘It’s far too dangerous,’ William said shaking his head.
‘It’s really important. Look.’ She slid the rucksack from her shoulder and opened it just enough to show William the Biblos Aletheia.
He looked up at her, smiled wryly, and shook his head.
‘Hades told me that there’s something that they use to translate it,’ she pressed on with an unmistakable eagerness in her voice. ‘A kind of Rosetta Stone. It’s not far from here; I know exactly where it is.’ Her eyes pleaded with William. ‘Please. We’ll probably never get another chance.’
Glancing from Max to the troopers, William thought for a moment then turned back to Ella. ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘But just us.’ He tightened the straps on his Bergen, pulled out his SIG-Sauer P229 and offered it, butt first, to Ella. ‘For your safety, I know you know how to use one of these. It’s made-ready, thirteen rounds in, and no safety catch. Got that?’
She slung her rucksack back over her shoulders, fastened the buckles under her chest and took the proffered pistol from William. ‘Ready when you are,’ she said brightly.
Paddy looked up from a conversation with Rupert. ‘What’s up, William? Where are you two going?’ he asked.
‘There’s something else we need to get before we leave. Ella knows where it is, I’ll look after her,’ William said. ‘Once Max is done, take him topside and send the data. We’ll meet you out there. . . And one other thing, Paddy.’
‘Yes?’
‘If we’re not out in time, leave without us. Do not come looking for us, do not jeopardise the mission. Understand? We can look after ourselves.’
Paddy disapproved, but he knew William had made his mind up. ‘Whatever you say,’ he said.
Cautiously, and clutching his PDW, William peered out from the exit and looked up and down the dark tunnel. It was vacant. ‘Which way?’ he asked Ella.
‘Left,’ she said confidently, and they set off together.
*
The tunnels were empty and cold. The alarm continued to sound. Ella and William weaved their way through the complex with their weapons r
aised.
‘Not so fast, Ella,’ William whispered. ‘Stay by my side.’
‘It’s just up here,’ Ella said, eager.
They turned a corner and came to another junction. Ella checked the markings on the doors. She turned left, and said, ‘This way . . .’
She stopped dead in her tracks. The pistol held out in front of her.
Just ahead was a woman dressed in the white suit. She also stopped when she saw Ella. She was about to say something when she noticed William, she gasped and made to run.
William raised his weapon and shouted, ‘Don’t move! Put your hands on your head.’
The woman did as ordered. ‘Please don’t shoot,’ she said desperately, her accent was soft and weak with Russian tones. She had a slender figure and an attractive, Slavic face. Atop of her long blonde hair she wore a gold tiara which had a bright red oval jewel in the centre. ‘I’m not one of them, they held me here against my will.’
‘Bullshit!’ William spat.
‘Please don’t hurt me,’ she pleaded. ‘I’m unarmed.’
‘Where is Cossack?’ William demanded.
The woman’s expression changed, she frowned and hesitated. ‘I don’t know. He’s probably gone already.’
William thought for a moment. The woman looked Ella from foot to face and gave her a disappointed look.
‘Just get out,’ William barked. ‘Run, get out, now.’
The woman needed no prompting. She nervously stepped past them in the narrow tunnel and then ran around the corner and out of sight.
‘Let’s go,’ William said to Ella.
After another fifty metres they rounded a bend.
‘It’s just around here,’ Ella said.
‘So you keep saying,’ William murmured.
When they turned the bend they saw the metal door. There was a soldier standing by it with his back to them, a short rifle held tightly in his hands.
Ella froze.
William immediately raised his PDW towards his target. The soldier turned, but he barely had time to show his surprise when William pulled the trigger. Rapidly, several rounds were fired off. The bullet proof vest the soldier was wearing offered little protection. Blood exploded from the man’s chest onto the tunnel walls. The soldier fell back and slumped onto the ground. Approaching cautiously, William checked the soldier. He was dead.
‘Is this it?’ he asked, nodding to the metal door.
‘Yes,’ Ella said.
‘It’s locked, electromagnetically sealed.’ William observed. ‘Damn it! I don’t have any charges to blow it open.’
‘I know the code,’ Ella said reaching for the panel. She tapped in a four digit number, there was a buzz, and she pulled the door open. ‘Voila!’
William raised his finger to his mouth and then indicated for her to stay put. Cautiously, he poked his weapon through the door and slowly edged into the darkness.
The first thing he noticed was the smell. It was an acrid, heavy stench that filled his nostrils. Then, when his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he saw what was causing it.
Bodies. Dozens of them.
Every one, as far as William could make out, was dressed in a white uniform. The uniforms were stained with blood. He turned to stop Ella from entering, but it was too late. She pushed her way in.
‘Oh my God,’ she gasped and put her free hand to her mouth. ‘What happened?’
‘They were all shot, by the looks of it, executed.’
‘There must a hundred in here at least.’
‘It’s a blood bath. See how most of them are slumped up against the walls. It looks like some of them tried to run away before they were cut down. A clean up job, silence the witnesses.’
‘But Hades said there were five-hundred people down here.’
‘Most will have fled, and I doubt we’ll find the leaders in here either. This lot probably just knew too much.’
They walked towards the centre of the room. When Ella’s eyes focussed she realised what was lying on top of the Altar. She gagged and nearly threw up.
‘You okay?’ asked William, he placed his hand on her back.
‘Let’s just do this and get out.’
They approached the altar, careful to step around the bodies as they went. There were pools of dark sticky liquid on the floor, Ella had no doubt to what it was, but tried not to think about it. She covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve.
‘Is that Hades?’ William asked.
The body was laid out on top of the altar. The face was black with blood and bruising; the white clothing was soaked in blood.
‘Yes,’ Ella whispered, she tried not to look at it. She moved around to the back where the cupboards were, leaned down and slid the door open. She put the pistol on the floor and began to search through the books and manuscripts.
‘Do you know what are you looking for?’ William asked, there was tone of impatience in his voice. The smell was overwhelming. He looked across the floor at the faces of the corpses. They all looked relatively young, he thought. He shook his head at the waste.
‘No, don’t rush me, I’m stressed enough,’ Ella snapped, feeling the pressure. ‘I’m just checking each one, but I’m hoping it will be obvious though when I see it.’
‘Is it a book or a stone tablet?’
‘A clay tablet . . . I think . . . I don’t know!’ She sighed deeply. ‘I’m sorry, I just don’t know. It could be a book, an annotated copy of the original tablet.’
As she picked each book off the shelf she glanced at its cover, flicked through it quickly, and threw it to the floor. Most of the books were published works, she quickly discarded them. Some were merely a collection of handwritten notes, they were interesting, but not what she was looking for. She worked as quickly as she could, but there was so many to go through.
‘Ella, come on, we really don’t have all day.’
‘I’m doing my best,’ she pleaded. A lump caught her in throat. She felt the tears well up, the reality of the situation was getting to her. Forcing herself on, she reached for the next book. It felt different. It was made of wood. She pulled it out and saw that it was actually a box. It was heavier than she had expected. When she opened it, she knew she had found what she was looking for. Inside were three paper notebooks, and under them, wrapped in a leather sleeve, was a clay tablet.
‘Got it,’ she said, she sighed with relief. She closed the wooden box and stowed it in her rucksack. Grabbing the pistol, she stood up. Her eyes were drawn to the corpse on the altar, she stared wide eyed and swallowed hard.
‘Let’s get out of here,’ William commanded.
Needing no encouragement, Ella turned and headed for the exit. William was about to follow her out but he noticed something else inside the altar. He bent down and reached for it. It was a bottle of whisky, half full, next to it was a single crystal glass. He took out the bottle and read the label, he raised his eyebrows and whistled. He stowed the bottle in the inside of his flak jacket.
‘Ella, wait,’ he said as he took off again.
But Ella had run ahead and was now close to the exit. The atmosphere of what had become a colossal crypt was too much for her. She felt sick.
William sprinted to catch up. His foot hit something slippery. Laden with his Bergen and his PDW, he lost his balance and fell over onto a body. His weight pushed in the lungs of the victim, and air was expelled through its mouth. For a moment it looked like the cadaver had come alive. He pushed himself off the body, stood up, and ran.
When Ella exited into the corridor she stopped, bent over, and vomited. William watched her as he approached the exit, he was still several metres away. She pushed herself up, but before she was fully erect, a shot rang out. The bang echoed around the chamber. Ella’s back arched, her legs gave way. And she fell forward onto the floor.
William raised his weapon and accelerated. But before he reached the exit someone appeared at the door, just a brief shadow, it seemed to throw something, and then the door slam
med shut.
‘No!’ William shouted.
Silence and darkness fell upon the chamber.
Instinctively, William dived to the floor and buried his head in his arms. As he did so the entire room lit up brightly for a brief second, with it there was a huge, deafening blast.
Sunday
Hemera Heliou ‘day of the sun’
Chapter 41
0002hrs – Hades’ Eden
Ella opened her eyes. She found herself lying face down on the cold corridor floor. There was a searing pain in her left shoulder and a strange taste of metal in her mouth. She started to crawl forward.
‘Look what we have here,’ someone said from close by. The thick, gruff accent was unmistakably Russian.
Ella froze. From the corner of her eye she could see the man standing by the access control panel at the security door. He tapped rapidly on the keypad, the eerie tones rang out.
‘How could someone so small, cause so much damage?’ he said. ‘You caused all this, didn’t you? You killed Hades?’
Ella remained silent.
‘Didn’t you?’ he shouted.
She turned her head to look at him, a sharp pain shot through her shoulder, she winced. He was dressed in an all red uniform with a black belt and black jackboots.
The control panel beeped a solid tone for a second and then went silent. Satisfied that he had changed the access code, Cossack turned and approached Ella. There was a pistol in his hand, he raised it and pointed it at her head. ‘You killed him, didn’t you? Answer me!’ he demanded.
‘Yes, I killed that perverted, twisted, bastard,’ she said. ‘And in a moment I will kill you too.’
Cossack threw his head back and laughed loudly, then leapt down onto Ella and pressed his knee into the small of her back. He grabbed her by the hair, pulled her head back and pushed the end of his pistol into her face. Ella yelped from the shooting pains in her shoulder.
Cossack leaned down and whispered into her ear. ‘I’m going to teach you a little lesson. A lesson in the delightful art of pain. Like father, like daughter.’
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