Under Loch and Key

by Kathryn Cockrill

  That could be a pretty good vantage point.

  I found a spot of ground near the tower and collapsed onto the floor in a graceful heap. I would wait until the family were done. Pulling off my bag, I grabbed a bottle of water and a cereal bar, chugging the water until I finally felt like my throat wasn’t a bone-dry desert. Then I unwrapped the cereal bar, keeping an eye on the family as they wandered around the top of the tower. After another ten minutes, they began to make their way down. None of the other groups of people made any move to get up, so I stood, dusting the mud off of my jeans and swinging my backpack back onto my shoulders, smiling at the family as they walked past.

  The white paint on the banisters was peeling, small pieces flaking into my palm as I started to climb. From the ground, it hadn’t seemed like that many stairs but as my thighs cried at me on the second flight, I realised I may have underestimated it. Gritting my teeth, I continued up, hands running along the banisters to pull myself up the next few flights. The blue sky sparkled through the patterns in the ironwork, interspersed with fluffy clouds. By the time I reached the top, I was wondering if I needed to take out a gym membership when I got home. From the top of the tower, you could see for miles; I felt a smile tugging at my lips as I stared out at the patchwork quilt of green tree tops. The groups of people on the ground were doll-sized, their faces still visible, but their chattering blown away on the breeze far below me. Bringing up the map again, I swung around trying to identify anything that would help me. I could see another clearing in the distance, set even deeper in the forest,

  Maybe I’m looking at this all wrong. I need to think logically; how would they have got everything in to the lab? There are hardly any roads here, but they could have transported the equipment in by air. In that case they would need a clearing to land in. That looks like there’s a lot of tree cover which means it probably wouldn’t be that popular with tourists, just the occasional hiker.

  As I talked it out in my head, my confidence grew that I was in the right place. It’s pretty easy to convince yourself of something when you’re dehydrated and in pain. I made a note of the direction of the clearing and put my phone away, moving back to the staircase. As I was about to step down, a flash of movement from the trees caught my eye; pausing, I looked over the rail as a runner broke through the trees. He slowed as he got to the clearing and, involuntarily, I scurried back, fear pounding through my veins. Without the leather jacket he was almost difficult to recognise, but his grey eyes and long hair, tied into a loose ponytail, were pretty obvious.

  I mean, this is a good thing. If Caden is here, that means you’re close.

  I was babbling inside my own head. I’d been reduced to a tearful, shaking mess and he was literally like thirty feet below me. He could hardly reach me. Funny what someone trying to kill you repeatedly does to a person. I peeked through the metal bars, keeping my body hidden from view as much as I could in a structure with no walls. He glanced around the clearing, jogging on the spot then, after an agonising few seconds, took off across the clearing, going back into the trees in the direction of the clearing I’d spotted.

  Follow him.

  I hurried down the stairs, not wanting to lose much time. Part of me was screaming at the thought of following my would-be murderer into the forest, but he would probably be heading to the new lab and I needed to find it. I didn’t fancy spending a night in the Black Forest hoping I didn’t get eaten by a wild animal… or an escaped genetically engineered animal. As it was, the sun was beginning its slow afternoon descent, ready for sunset.

  As soon as my feet hit the grass around the tower, I broke into a jog, following the path I’d seen Caden take into the forest. It wasn’t as thick as the foliage I’d come through to get to the tower, but I still found myself slowing, hopping over tree roots. There were a lot of leaves underfoot, which didn’t bode well for me. I slowed right down to a walk, trying to avoid the loud crunching of the leaves by stepping on the tree roots instead, jumping from one to the other. I couldn’t see Caden, but I could see the ident of someone’s shoes in the trail in front of me, the twigs and grass flattened. It was slow progress. I stopped every now and then, listening for any movement ahead. As I got closer to the clearing, I tried to walk parallel to the route Caden had took, making sure as much of my body as possible was hidden behind trees whenever I stopped. He would probably be cautious as he approached the entrance.

  After twenty minutes of careful walking, I came to the edge of the clearing I’d seen from the tower. It was completely empty, not even the suggestion of a trail leading off from any part of it. From where I stood, I could see another indented line of footprints cutting across the corner of the clearing to head into another patch of trees on the right.

  Keeping my eyes on the footprints, I stayed in the treeline, walking towards Caden’s re-entry point. I didn’t want to step out into the open. If I was as close as I thought I was, I was pretty sure they’d have cameras watching the clearing, in case they needed to dissuade any wayward hikers. As I neared the end of Caden’s trail, I dropped down to a crouch. A beam of sunlight had reflected off of something in the trees; as I looked closer, I could see a small orb attached to a knot in one of the tree trunks. Cameras. Even though I knew they would probably have them, since Caden had tapped into the ones in the old lab, disappointment still curled in my belly. It had hardly been easy up until this point, but it had just got a whole lot more difficult. I had no idea how to disable cameras. The only evasion techniques I knew came from watching movies, so I doubted they would be that effective. A bird passed in front of the camera and it turned, tracking the movement.

  They’re motion-activated.

  I just needed something in motion that wasn’t me to keep the camera looking the other way. I looked around, trying to find something I could use, but given that trees were generally inanimate, I didn’t really have a whole lot of options. As I was debating going back to the town and bringing back something I could use, a rustling to my right made me pause. I crouched lower in the undergrowth, my mind spiralling,

  What if its Caden? What if this is a trap? I might be about to get shot or tied up in a net or…

  My panicked thinking trailed off as a pair of large brown eyes appeared through the leaves. A cautious step forward revealed chestnut fur and a large, twitching nose.

  It’s just a deer.

  The deer stepped even further forward, head flicking from side to side, its ears twisting as it listened. I kept myself as quiet as possible, not wanting to risk spooking it and drawing the camera this way.

  What if it could draw the camera the other way?

  As the deer stepped in front of me, it paused, bending down to chomp a mouthful of the lush grass, before carrying on its nervous wandering. Once it was a few feet away from me, nearly in the line of the camera, I grabbed a twig from beside me, sizing up the distance.

  I really hope this works.

  I gently threw the twig to land just to the left of the deer, away from the clearing and towards the camera. As I’d hoped, the deer spooked, flying forwards and crashing through the undergrowth. The camera twisted, tracking its path and as soon as I was out of its range, I shot forward, darting to the cover of the trees behind the camera. Pressed up against a tree trunk, I took a few deep breaths, waiting for an army of GAI workers to come out and detain me. When they didn’t, I let myself relax slightly. Once I’d checked the surrounding area for any more cameras, I took a couple of steps forward. If the camera was used to keep an eye on the people passing through, it was also probably used to let the right people in. To the left of the tree that the camera was sat in was a slight gap in the foliage. Not enough that it would be noticeable to anyone passing by, but from here I could see the faint trail. It seemed to disappear between two large tree trunks.

  I’m willing to bet that the entrance is somewhere in there.

  I approached cautiously, keeping an eye out for any possible trip wires or triggers. A lot of GAI’s ability to
stay hidden seemed to rely on the fact that, to the public, they no longer existed, so why should anyone be looking for them? It was defensive rather than offensive. Even in the deserted lab, it hadn’t been that difficult to get in. Luckily for me, that complacency was working to my advantage. They’d left Caden to deal with me and didn’t expect anyone else to be a problem. I was really looking forward to surprising them. As I reached the tree trunks, I noticed that beyond them, the air seemed to warp slightly, like a thin veil over an image.

  Bingo.

  Moving closer, I could see it was actually that. There was some kind of fabric backdrop, covered in hanging branches and vines. More than likely, the entrance Caden had used was behind the overgrowing foliage. I went to walk towards it then stopped.

  I can hardly walk in the front door. If I want to find out if Eli is even in there, I probably don’t want to be caught within the first few seconds.

  I considered the tree trunks again. If it was the same as the other lab, it was going to be underground. Underground meant that they still had to have a fire escape and be able to circulate air somehow, probably with covered vents, or another entrance, like the door I’d opened in the Zoo Room.

  Looks like we’re sneaking in.

  I walked to the right of the tree trunk, and the copse of trees behind it that I assumed hid the rest of the door, and started walking in a straight line, hoping that I would come across another indication of the lab. After the thick copse, the trees thinned out again, a smattering sparsely covering the ground, small ferns dotted in between, brushing against my legs as I crept past. I had no idea how thick the ground covering was between my feet and the lab. I certainly didn’t want to blow everything because someone heard my footsteps on the ceiling. I’d walked for a couple of minutes before I paused, a small breeze blowing around my ankles.

  Crouching down, I brushed aside the twigs and leaves, surprised when the dirt also brushed aside. After a few seconds of brushing, something silver glinted under my palm. Pushing away the last of the dirt, I was greeted with a vent. Cold air blasted out of it, with an undercurrent of something clinical. A grin spread across my face. It was quite a large vent, about a metre across, more than enough for me to slip into. I didn’t know where it would come out, but hopefully I would be able to get to an empty room. I had a brief mental image of every time this had gone wrong in films, but I wasn’t sure I had much of a choice. Finding the edge of the vent, I eased it up, the metal creaking slightly under the pressure. As soon as I had the vent up, I placed it down to the side, close enough that once I was in, I would be able pull it back over. I leant into the vent, peering around. It was pretty dark and further down the vent I could hear the clicking and whirring of machines. I was going to be blind until I reached an opening.

  You’ll be okay.

  Sitting on the edge of the opening, I dangled my legs into the vent and took a few breaths. My backpack was resting on the ground next to me. In one smooth movement, I lowered myself down into the vent, waiting until I felt metal beneath my feet before I let go of the sides. Grabbing my backpack, I dropped it down to the floor, wincing as the metal echoed. The forest was still completely silent, barely a breeze rustling the leaves. It felt eerie. With a decisive jolt, I pulled the vent lid back over the top, crouching in the filtered overhead light. Slipping the backpack straps over my arms, I started crawling in the direction of the machines, hoping that led to the main areas of the lab. The vents seemed to be made of a thick metal, luckily for me, although there was barely enough room for my movements. The cold air that wafted through the vents blew my hair around my face.

  After a few minutes of crawling, the tunnel started to lighten, and the whirring of machines got louder. I resisted the urge to speed up, my nerves replaced with excitement. Or possibly indigestion. Either way, I wanted to get into the lab and actually get what I came for. I could see an opening ahead; as I approached it, above the whirring of machines, there were voices, murmuring. Crawling up to the edge, I laid flat on my stomach, careful to make no noise, and peered over the edge. The room below was full of equipment, multiple machines whirring and spinning, lights flashing. Every so often one of them let out a beep. The murmuring voices I’d heard were attached to people as two men in lab coats came into view. The shorter one moved to the machine closest to me, his short black hair the only thing I could see from this position. I could almost hear what they were saying but some of it was lost to the machines,

  “...arc…come loo…this.” The other scientist came over, his hair shaved close to his head, a salt and pepper grey. He leant over the machine, taller than the first scientist, and from this angle I could actually see some of his face. He had a smattering of facial hair, over his lip and on his chin, a light grey and kind but piercing eyes.

  He’s making monsters. That’s not kind.

  He pushed the sleeve of his lab coat up to reach for a vial, revealing toned arms.

  I don’t think I fancy my chances.

  “What was…previous…readin…om?” He murmured, checking the clipboard nearest to the machine. As he turned to face the first scientist, I caught a glimpse of his name badge.

  Marc.

  Marc waited for the response, head tilted as he considered whatever was on the clipboard. The first scientist pointed to something on the paper,

  “Much lower…cell counts off…” He spun around to reach for the table behind him and I caught his name badge as well.

  Tomas.

  He was younger than Marc, with a moustache and stubble across his jawline. His eyes flashed around the room, dark and scrutinising.

  They seemed to confer about something under their breaths before they pressed some more buttons on the machine almost directly below me. Unless they suddenly left the room, I wasn’t going to be able to use this opening. Waiting until they had both turned away, I scurried over the opening, hoping I hadn’t caused a shadow. There were more noises coming from further down the tunnel, so I kept going, rounding a sharp corner to come to a sharp halt. Another opening had sprung upon me, tucked directly after the corner. I couldn’t hear any voices, but I still laid down, eyes peeking over the edge of the grate. The room below me seemed to be some kind of storage room, full of containers and boxes piled on top of each other. Directly below the grate was a large metal filing cabinet. I sized up the gap between the grate and the top of the cabinet.

  I can make that.

  Tilting my head, I tried to take in the rest of the room. As far as I could see, there wasn’t anyone in the room. The only light on was a small overhead bulb that barely lit up the space. Making a decision, I started pulling up the grate. This one, unlike the one that led outside, was screwed in placed. Shrugging off my backpack, the smooth fabric making a whooshing sound across the side of the vent, I rummaged until I found a 5p coin. The edge of the coin fit perfectly inside the screw, meaning I could slowly unscrew each corner. I kept one eye on the room below in case anyone came in, but it remained quiet. The noises I could hear from the first room carried on down the tunnel. Slowly, the screws came out of the corners of the vent that I moved aside, wincing as the metal scraped against the edge of the tunnel. No one came running. Breathing a small smile, I sat on the edge of the vent, dangling my legs into the room. The metal filing cabinet was just out of reach but lowering myself down with my arms meant I could place my feet securely on the smooth surface. As soon as I felt the filing cabinet, I looped one hand around my backpack and dropped down into a crouch. Taking in the rest of the room, I was relieved to find that there hadn’t been anyone else in there. Even better, there were no windows, which meant anyone walking by wouldn’t see me subtly infiltrating their top-secret building.

  Now…how to get down.

  Just because there were no windows, it didn’t mean I wanted to risk making a load of noise. I knew for a fact that there were at least two people nearby. Next to the filing cabinet was a desk, probably about a metre and a half away. Shimmying down the edge of the filing cabinet
, I made it to the desk, with another quick jump to the floor. As I stood up from the jump, I couldn’t help grinning properly now.

  I’m in.

  It was such a great feeling, the impossible task that I’d set myself now just that little bit easier. I had a quick look around the room, taking in the stacks of papers. I’d had enough of stacks of papers. The only issue with the room having no windows meant that there was no way to tell what was outside. I could open the door into the face of Caden for all I knew. Creeping over to the door, I slowly turned the handle and cracked the door open. Luckily it seemed to open into another hallway, dimly lit. I risked opening the door a bit further, poking my head out slightly. The hallway extended both ways; one side disappeared around the corner, the other stretching into flickering darkness. There were a few more doors lining the opposite side of the hallway, but no sign of any other people. As I was about to step out of the door, I heard footsteps echoing from around the corner.

  Shit.

  I backed into the room, hurrying over to a small space behind the storage containers that I’d spotted from my bird’s eye view. The footsteps continued, stopping in front of the door. I closed my eyes against it, terrified that my victory was about to be stripped away. The door opened. I pressed myself to the floor, hardly daring to breathe. Black boots made their way to the desk, pulling out a stool and sitting down.

  Don’t look up. Please don’t look up.

  I was stuck. There was a shuffling of papers, followed by a cough. I let out a shallow breath, willing them to leave. The chair suddenly scraped back and there was a loud thunk, as something hit the floor. I opened one eye, my next breath freezing in my throat. On the floor by the desk was a leather bound, dark brown notebook, tightly bound with cord. The next second, the owner of the black boots leant down, sunlight dappled hair catching the light. I closed my mouth against the small sound that worked its way up my throat. Strong hands picked up the notebook and, as they moved back up, I caught a glimpse of sea-green eyes.