Stealing Phoenix

by Joss Stirling

  But no luck. My brothers must have been discussing what next telepathically, for I was thrown over Dragon’s shoulder as they raced upstairs.

  ‘Do you think anyone else would have got to the stuff first?’ Dragon panted.

  ‘Nah. They wouldn’t dare.’ Unicorn pushed past a group of the Seer’s women who were descending with a rapid click-click of heels.

  ‘What’s going on?’ one asked, grabbing his sleeve. ‘There’s a fire up there. Can’t you do something?’

  He ripped free. ‘Later. Just get out.’ His tone told them not to press for more information and they obediently made way for us and then carried on down the stairs. I could see a few concerned looks cast at me as I dangled over Dragon’s back, but no one was going to ask. We didn’t do that kind of thing in the Community.

  Reaching the fifth floor, Unicorn drew out a bunch of keys. ‘What do you reckon: just the small stuff?’

  Dumping me down like an unwanted suitcase, Dragon leant against the wall to regain his breath. ‘Yeah, no time to take the rest. The jewellery and the money should be enough to set up a new operation somewhere.’

  Phee, watch out! I’m smoking them out. Yves can’t have been able to see that I was tied up and could do nothing about his warning.

  I’m trapped. Top floor.

  The Seer’s apartment erupted in a sudden fl are. The rooftop fire had spread down a level.

  ‘What the—!’ Dragon yelled.

  ‘It’s her man—he’s here.’ Unicorn kicked open the door, releasing a belch of black fumes. ‘He’s burning the place out from the top down.’

  Tell them not to go in. It’s wild fire—fast and hungry.

  I used my bound hands to rip the gag free. ‘You mustn’t enter,’ I shouted, clawing the back of Dragon’s jacket as he prepared to make a mad dash for the strong box. ‘It’s not a normal blaze—it’s already out of control.’

  Dragon pushed me away. ‘Your soulfinder did this, didn’t he? He’s after the money.’

  ‘And he’s not getting it.’ Unicorn took off his shirt, made a mask of the material and passed it to his brother.

  Throwing the cloth over his face, Dragon didn’t wait—he launched into the burning room, disappearing into the smoke.

  ‘You’re both mad! Let’s get out of here while we still can!’ I tried to move past Unicorn to get to the stairs before the fire did.

  ‘You’re not going anywhere.’ Unicorn drew his gun. ‘Your soulfinder’s messed up everything for us. He’s not getting you too.’

  Dragon staggered back out carrying the strong box from the storeroom, hands red with burns. ‘Kill the bitch,’ he said succinctly.

  I took the only path left to me, running towards my old room at the far end of the walkway. A gun went off, a bullet hole appearing on the wall by my head. A cloud of smoke billowed between us, partially hiding me from sight. Another shot and I felt my leg give out from under me. White pain. A spear of lightning in my leg.

  ‘She’s down. Let’s go,’ Dragon said, coughing hard.

  I came to a halt face-down on the concrete, bound hands caught awkwardly beneath me. I’d taken a bullet in my thigh. Unicorn was right. I wasn’t going anywhere.

  I must have passed out momentarily. Calloused hands were slapping my cheek.

  ‘Phee, you need to wake up.’ It wasn’t Yves as I’d hoped but Tony who crouched over me, his newly whitened hair fl opping over his forehead. We were lying in a little clear space, the smoke seeming to curl away from us as if directed to leave us alone.

  ‘Tony?’

  ‘Yes, dashur. We are in big trouble. Stairwell is on fire.’

  ‘What are you doing up here?’

  ‘Saw them bring you up and thought I’d follow.’ He unknotted the binding on my wrists and helped me sit up. He used the same cloth to tie around my wound, though it was soon splotched red. I was losing a lot of blood. The pain lanced through me like glass spikes hammered into my flesh.

  Phee, where are you? Yves was still looking for me.

  Still on the top floor.

  He swore. I didn’t know. You went silent.

  I passed out. I’m well and truly trapped, Yves. Tony’s with me.

  Your brothers were supposed to run out when the fire started, not run into the building!

  That would be the reaction of normal people. They aren’t. What was that your brother said about your plans not taking other minds into account?

  While I was talking to Yves, Tony had been looking for an escape route.

  ‘There’s a way down—the drainpipe.’ He pointed over the edge of the balcony. ‘Looks solid.’

  ‘Go for it.’ I didn’t bother to move. No way was I going to be able to climb to the ground with a bullet in my leg.

  Tony hovered. ‘You should’ve left when I told you, Phee.’

  ‘Yeah, maybe I should’ve. But I wouldn’t’ve met my soulfinder, would I?’

  ‘I hope he was worth it.’ He patted my shoulder awkwardly, then tugged off my necklace and pocketed it. ‘I’m sorry, dashur.’

  ‘So am I.’

  He swung on to the parapet. ‘Perhaps the firemen will come soon.’

  Tears pooled in my eyes. ‘Perhaps.’ Tony’s coming down, I told Yves. Help him if you can.

  The wiry Albanian thief had compensated for his injuries by developing strength in his good side, and it was this that came to his aid now. Clinging on one-handed like a monkey, he slung his belt round the pipe and slid out of sight. I had to see that he got there safely. Pulling myself up to the wall, I watched his head disappear.

  Phee, down here! Yves had spotted me. I found him standing in the centre of the playground, a lonely figure in front of the burning housing estate. You next.

  He was expecting me to follow Tony.

  I can’t. I’m wounded. Got shot in the leg. The limb in question was shaking. I leant heavily against the wall wondering vaguely what would get me first—blood loss or smoke. My lack of concern told me that I was lightheaded. The idea of passing out again seemed quite welcome.

  Then I’m coming up for you.

  No way. Is Tony down?

  Yves looked towards the foot of the building. Yes. He’s running. Do you want me to stop him?

  No, let him go. And don’t you even think of coming up. You couldn’t bring me out that way and we’d only both die.

  But I started the fire—this is my fault! He was tearing himself up about something he couldn’t now help. It would have been a good plan if it had worked, making us all flee the building.

  It’s not your fault my brothers are psychos.

  I can’t stand here and just watch! There has to be something I can do.

  And then, suddenly, he wasn’t alone: his family arrived, sprinting into the playground through the open gate that led on to the street. I felt a huge wave of relief. At least they’d stop him doing something stupid. They gathered around him, burying him under their hugs. I sank against the parapet, pleased that the last thing I would see would be Yves surrounded by those that loved him.

  You are not to give up, Phee! Yves ordered me. We’re getting you down from there.

  I love you.

  No sappy stuff. That was Xav, joining our conversation. We need you to get up onto the edge.

  We’re going to float you down, Phoenix. Mr Benedict’s voice was reassuring.

  I wiped my eyes. My vision was beginning to blur. I could see the Benedicts and Sky surrounding Yves, arms on each other’s shoulders.

  Wake up, Phee, we have a plan. Sky’s light tone brushed my mind. Zed’s going to channel everyone’s telekinetic power. We should have enough to get you down from there.

  Get up on the parapet, love. You’ll have to help us help you.Yves sounded confident again.

  How am I going to help you?

  You are going to jump.

  Ha.

  You are.

  Have you done this before?

  Yeah, with fruit. That was Xav.

  An
d why am I not reassured?

  Get on the ledge, Phoenix. That was Victor, flexing his persuasive powers.

  Tell your brother to cut it out. I’d had enough of men messing with my mind. I’ll do this of my own free will or not at all.

  The wail of the fire engines brought me new hope. Perhaps I would wait for a ladder?

  Phee, you don’t have time. I know fire—this one’s almost onto you. I’m keeping the smoke back but even I can’t stop flames once I let them loose. Yves was running short of patience with me; if I didn’t act, he’d do something stupid like try climbing up to fetch me himself.

  OK, OK. I gritted my teeth and pulled myself up on to the ledge. A shaft of pain shot through my body. Black dots whirled across my vision—faintness or specks of ash, I couldn’t tell which.

  We’ll catch you, honey, whispered Karla, her hands to her mouth to stop a scream.

  Oh God, oh God: was I really going to launch myself off the edge and trust them to do their bit? I didn’t doubt they would try, but what if they failed?

  I dangled my legs over the edge, ignoring the teeth-grinding agony. About those fruit, Xav: do you always catch them?

  Every time, he promised, totally serious for once.

  I pushed off.

  And fell rapidly towards the ground.

  Yves!

  Then my descent changed direction. I could feel myself being propelled away from the building, as if a J-shaped slide had appeared under me. But surely I was going too fast?

  Hold on! Yves warned.

  To what? I screamed.

  I shot forward and into his arms. He took a tumble, breaking my fall with me landing on top of him.

  ‘To me,’ he said, out of breath.

  I could hear Xav laughing. ‘It worked! It actually worked! I don’t believe it!’

  ‘I’m not letting go of you,’ I vowed, before passing out for a second time.

  I woke up in a hospital bed believing, in a confused fashion, that I had a watermelon for a leg—a throbbing, swollen one.

  ‘I feel terrible,’ I murmured to no one in particular.

  ‘You don’t look terrible; you look wonderful.’

  I cracked open my eyelids to find Yves sitting close by the bedside, his hand wrapped around mine where it rested on the cover. Sunlight poured in through the window behind him, making the white sheets on the bed glow. I could hear the growl of traffic outside, voices in the corridor beyond, but my room was peaceful. Multicoloured balloons floated above every table and ledge, the Benedicts’ celebration of my survival determinedly invading the clinical hospital room.

  ‘Why do I not believe you?’

  ‘You should because it’s true. You’re alive and my stupid fire didn’t get you so to me that’s wonderful.’

  ‘You’re an easy guy to please.’ I ran my tongue over my dry lips. He reached for a cup with a straw and held it so I could sip. I made a further examination of my body and realized I had a drip in the back of my left hand and a thick bandage around my right thigh. ‘The bullet?’

  ‘Out. You should make a good recovery. Xav’s promised to help reduce the scarring but it’ll always be there, I’m afraid.’ He scowled at the tiled floor. ‘I’m sorry about the fire, Phee. That’s the second time I’ve done that to you.’ Darling Yves: he appeared genuinely worried that I would hold him to blame.

  ‘Stop it. You can’t feel guilty for doing what you thought would work. My brothers are mental—you can’t predict how they react to stuff like that.’

  He squeezed my hand. ‘I … er … have some bad news about them.’

  My heart fluttered. ‘What kind of bad news?’

  ‘We don’t think they got out. The fire services found two bodies on the stairs.’

  ‘I … see.’

  ‘They’d like to test your DNA because … well, they weren’t easy to recognize once the blaze was put out. And, as their closest relative who is cooperating with the authorities, Victor wondered if … ?’

  ‘Of course.’ I swallowed, not sure what I felt. They’d left me for dead but I couldn’t rejoice that they’d fallen victim to the fire. No one deserved to die that way. ‘Tell him I will.’ I didn’t want to think about this and there was so much I didn’t know. ‘You had better fill me in on the rest.’

  Yves released my hand and brushed his fingertips over my cheek. ‘We’ve got the ringleaders locked up. Most of them are awaiting deportation as their crimes were committed abroad, but the Seer is being charged with multiple counts of theft and murder.’

  I closed my eyes. ‘That’s good. But how … ?’

  ‘That program I put in the memory stick? It also carried a little extra to ferry out key files to interested parties. As soon as they were stupid enough to copy it over to their machines— against my express instructions, remember—my digital scout went looking for selected terms. Law enforcement agencies around the globe suddenly began receiving the most incriminating information on illegal shipments and many other things. The Seer had boasted online about the disappearance of one Mitch Bannister; did you know him?’

  I remembered Tony telling me about Mitch being ordered to kill himself. ‘Yes. He’s buried in Epping Forest, I think.’

  ‘That’s only one body that they’ll be busy exhuming; there are others over the years. And we now know the Seer’s real name. Want to know what it is?’

  I nodded.

  ‘Kevin Smith. How boring can you get? No wonder he invented a new name for himself.’

  It helped a little to know the Seer was an ordinary person along with the rest of us, like checking under the bed to see that the monster really wasn’t there. But the traces of his domination still remained in the traps he’d set for us in my head. ‘And how did your family find us both times—at the club and at the Community?’

  ‘I didn’t tell them, you needn’t worry about that. Do you remember I mentioned that I was counting on them to do their part?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘As I hoped, Zed foresaw us at the club—or you, at any rate. He can’t see me usually as the family tie gets in the way of his future sense. Fortunately, they assumed I’d be with you. They didn’t know why we were there but it was enough for Victor to set up the operation. The American and British law-enforcement agencies had been watching the group for some time, so it was only a matter of putting into action what they had been planning, with the tranquillizers and everything. The biggest problem was finding musicians at such short notice— we couldn’t risk exposing real artists to that kind of volatile situation—which was why my family and a few friends stepped into the breach.’

  ‘I thought they were amazing. No one looked at them twice—they played so professionally. Your mum and Sky—just wow!’

  He smiled. ‘Yeah, they were good, weren’t they? Dad and Zed were having conniptions letting them stand on the front line, of course, but it worked out OK.’

  ‘Did your family know you hadn’t betrayed them?’

  Yves shrugged. ‘They never would’ve doubted me.’

  ‘But I did.’ That thought was not nice to acknowledge.

  ‘Come on, Phee: give yourself a break. You threw yourself off that ledge for me. I think we can say you trust me when it counts.’ Yves kicked back in his chair and put his feet up on the end of the bed. ‘I kept you in the dark on purpose so you’re not to blame. I didn’t want the Seer worming the secret out of you.’

  I wasn’t completely innocent myself: I still hadn’t told him about my attempt to steal the stick from him on the London Eye. Even so, I felt stupid not guessing what he was up to, but that was something I could fret about later: there were still things I had to know. ‘And the flats—how did your family arrive in time if you didn’t tell them where to go?’

  ‘The files did that job for me. When I got your message, I’d jumped in the first taxi I could find, leaving the others high and dry. Victor knew where the Seer had been working recently— he made an educated guess that your brothers would come back
for their stash. He’s got good instincts when it comes to bad guys.’

  I fell silent, thinking over what he had told me. None of the Seer’s red lines had been crossed; I didn’t have to do anything to punish us. We’d been incredibly lucky; we’d skimmed past the Seer’s mind-traps like skiers in an Olympic downhill slalom, clipping but not taking out any of the flags.

  ‘Tired?’ Yves reached out to smooth my hair away from my face.

  ‘No, just … just finding it hard to believe it’s all over. It is, isn’t it?’

  ‘Almost.’ His eyes twinkled mischievously. ‘I’ve got a present for you—and a question, but I think we should wait until you’re feeling stronger.’

  I groaned. ‘You can’t do that—tempt me with a present then snatch it away.’

  He laughed, a wonderful bubble of sound. ‘You’re right. Here it is then.’ He dropped it on my stomach: a little red booklet.

  I flipped to the back page. ‘My passport!’

  ‘You are now official.’

  ‘Where did you get the photo?’ It was me as I had looked at the club, including the daisy necklace.

  ‘That club was bristling with cameras. I just took a screen capture of you looking sombre, a bit of Photoshop magic and there you are. The Brits were more than happy to rush it through for us as we are pretty much their favourite people right now.’

  I glanced out of the window. For him to have been able to do all this, I must have been out for longer than I thought. ‘What day is it?’

  ‘You slept through most of yesterday—in surgery and then post-op. You surfaced a couple of times but I doubt you’ll remember.’

  So long? My brothers had been dead for almost two days and the ashes of the fire would be cool. Had everyone else got out? I knew the answer without asking. Yes, Yves would have confessed if there had been more casualties. Only those stupid enough to head into the burning block had been caught. But with no Seer and no Dragon and Unicorn, the Community was finished, the members scattered. We’d never regroup now—that’s if the justice system could keep hold of someone as manipulative as the Seer. That was a problem for tomorrow; for the moment, the others were free. Tony had probably already hocked the necklace and begun his new life somewhere away from the authorities. I too was facing a fresh beginning.