“What does he want?” Matt asked.
“He wants to talk to you.”
“I bring you a message,” Omar said. “It comes from a friend of yours. He told me to find you. His name is Scott.”
“Scott!” Scarlett muttered the single word.
“That’s right.” The commander was holding a scrap of paper. He turned it in his hands as if unwilling to part with it. “Scott wants to meet with you. At least, that’s what he says.”
He handed the note to Matt, who unfolded it. There was a brief message, handwritten presumably by Scott, although Matt had never seen his writing before. He read it out loud:
“Matt – I hope this reaches you. I’ve made a bad mistake. I know that now. But if it’s not too late, if you’ll trust me, we can beat the Old Ones. I’ve learnt things about this place and I know its weaknesses. Will you at least meet with me and let me explain? There’s a place called Skua Bay, about a kilometre down the coast. be there alone at midnight tonight. Come alone … just you and me. We can work this out, I promise you, and we can win. Whatever you may think, I’m still one of the Five. Scott.”
Matt lowered the page.
“It’s a trap,” Richard said. His voice was heavy.
“I agree,” Scarlett said. “Why would Scott want to meet with you now? If he really wanted to talk to you, he could have come to the dreamworld. Or he could have escaped himself. He didn’t need to send a note.”
“We’ve interrogated the prisoner,” Cain muttered. “There may be a little more he can add.”
“I spoke to Scott!” Omar had a high-pitched, nervous voice. “He is very scared. The Old Ones watch him all the time. This place that he speaks of, Skua Bay, it is safe. It is near to your ships, away from the fort. He will be alone. You will be alone. You will see that. Scott is your friend. He wants to help you.”
There was a brief silence. Then Lohan stepped forward. “Give me five minutes alone with this man,” he said. “Give me fire and give me a knife. I will tell you very quickly if he is lying to us. But let me say right now that I do not believe a word of this. They want Matt. That is all they want. And this is their way to draw him in.”
“We’re not going to torture him,” Matt said. He was still holding the note, weighing it in his hand. He approached Omar. “You saw Scott?”
“Yes.”
“Describe him to me.”
“He is thin with dark hair. Pale skin. Brown eyes. He told me to say something when we met, so that you would know it was really him.”
“And what was that?”
“He said that he was sorry about Professor Chambers. He made a mistake and he knows you were angry with him.”
Both Matt and Richard knew what Omar was talking about. Scott had blamed himself for the death of the professor at her home in Nazca. Nobody else in the fortress could have known about that. At the very least it proved that the message really must have come from Scott.
But then Richard put into words what both of them were thinking. “It could still be a trap,” he said. “If Scott’s working with the Old Ones, they could be using him to get at you.”
Matt glanced at Greyson, the man who had collected him. “Do you know Skua Bay?” he asked.
“Yes. It’s where he says. About a kilometre to the west.”
“Could you drop me there?”
“Sure. We could take you down there on a Zodiac.”
“Wait a minute!” Richard cut in. “You’re not seriously thinking of taking Scott up on his little invitation, are you? That’s crazy! Think about it for just one minute. What Scarlett said is right. If Scott really wanted to, he could just walk out of the fortress and see you. He could use his powers. Can’t he control people’s minds? He could get one of the shape-changers to give him a lift! Or the dreamworld! Scott was turning bad even when we were in Peru. I’m sorry to say it, but it’s true. You can’t trust him, Matt. The Old Ones are looking for you. This is a trick.”
Matt turned to Cain. “What do you think, Commander?”
Cain shrugged. “I don’t know, Matthew,” he said. “I suppose I tend to agree with Mr Cole. The whole thing seems more than a little suspicious. But at the same time, I will add this.” He paused. “We’ve been beaten. I suppose I need to shoulder most of the blame but today was a disaster. We have only half the men we started out with. Our aerial forces have been shown to be useless. Right now I would say that the future of the world hangs by a thread.
“So what does that mean? It means that if there’s even a whisker of a chance that this man is telling the truth and that Scott can help us, we don’t have any choice but to go for it. God knows, I realize I’ve lost the right to advise you. But that’s what I think.”
Matt nodded. “I agree.”
Richard went over to him. “Don’t do it, Matt,” he pleaded.
“There is no other way,” Matt said. “You know that, Richard. The Five have to come together. If we’re separated, we have no choice at all.”
“But you’re nowhere near each other,” Richard said. “You and Scarlett are here. Pedro is in Italy. Jamie is in England. And the doors are closed. You’re not going to come together any time soon.” He took a breath, then continued more slowly. “We’ve lost, Matt. The attack today was a monumental gamble and it didn’t pay off. The best thing right now would be to get out of this hellish place as soon as we can. Regroup somewhere else. Live to fight another day.”
Everyone turned to Matt, waiting for him to answer.
“You’re right, Richard,” he admitted. There was a tiredness in his voice that Richard had never heard before. “Everything has gone wrong. But that’s why I’ve got to do this. If we run away and hide, what then? We’re on a dying planet. The Old Ones have ruined everything.” He glanced one last time at the letter. “Right now, this is the only hope we have left. Scott may be lying, in which case it’s all over. They’ve won. But you know him. Do you really think he would deliver me to them? Isn’t there just a tiny chance that he has changed his mind and wants to help? I don’t think we can ignore him. I think I have to hear what he has to say.”
“No,” Scarlett said. There were tears in her eyes. “You can’t go, Matt. What if he’s lying? What if they manage to capture you?”
“Fight another day,” Lohan said. “Do not go to this place. Do not put yourself in the lion’s den.”
Cain was the only person in the tent who seemed to think differently. “We can give you full support,” he said. “You can stay in radio contact the whole time and I can have a rapid response team standing by in skimmers.”
“I think it’s worth a chance,” Matt said. He had decided. “I’m going.”
Scarlett groaned and Lohan looked away but Matt ignored them. Cain walked over to the table and pulled out a map showing the coastline around Oblivion. The man called Omar sat in his chair, his expression blank.
“Wait a minute,” Richard said. He turned to Matt. “I don’t understand why you’re making this decision but I’m not going to let you go there alone. If you’re heading off to this Skua Bay or whatever it’s called, I’m coming with you.”
“Richard…”
“No. There’s no argument. I started this adventure with you and I’m going to finish it with you, however it turns out.”
“Scott wanted me to come alone.”
“Scott knows me. If he sees me with you, he’s not going to be surprised. But just for once I’m putting my foot down, Matt. Either you let me come with you or you don’t go at all.”
“Then we’ll go together,” Matt said, and at that moment Richard got the impression that he had known it would happen this way all along and that he had actually been waiting for him to make his stand. He already knew that Matt had changed. But right then he felt as if the two of them were complete strangers. It was as if everything they had been through together had somehow been left behind.
“I’m going to assign Lieutenant Greyson to ferry you to the beach,” Cain said. “I
f you want to be there by midnight, you should leave now. It’s going to take a while to get down the cliff and onto the Zodiac.”
Matt nodded. Richard was standing next to him, silent and pale. Scarlett looked shocked.
“OK,” Matt said. “Let’s go.”
FIFTY-ONE
The Zodiac was a high-performance Rigid Inflatable Boat, or RIB, made of black rubber with a powerful 110 horsepower engine. It was waiting for Matt and Richard as they climbed down to the beach, following the intricate network of paths and staircases that had been cut into the side of the ice cliff. A handful of marines were waiting for them at the bottom. The beach was a thin strip of black shingle carried there by the movement of the glacier. The water was calm tonight, the waves lapping tamely at their feet.
They climbed in and set off, Matt sitting at the front, Richard in the middle, Lieutenant Greyson standing at the back. It was a quarter to twelve but the sun was still out behind the cloud, hovering somewhere over the horizon, and the surface of the water was more steel-like than ever. As Richard looked up towards the ice field of Oblivion, it occurred to him, almost for the first time, that he was in one of the most extraordinary places on earth: Antarctica. Travellers – explorers – had been drawn here for hundreds of years, losing themselves in the endless reaches of this vast, unspoilt wilderness. Even the light was like nothing he had seen before. And yet he looked on it with dread. He hated being here and would rather have been anywhere else.
They motored gently between two icebergs; huge, irregular blocks drifting silently, without purpose. In the distance, Richard could see the frigate, lying at anchor, surrounded by a ragtag collection of vessels that seemed to cling together as if afraid of the water around them. It was intensely cold. Although there was no wind, he could feel the chill cutting into him, reaching to his very bones. Apart from the splutter of the engine, everything was silent. He looked for any sign of wildlife – even a single bird – but nothing appeared.
“There it is,” Greyson muttered. “Straight ahead of us now…”
The young lieutenant was pointing at a small cove, an indentation on the edge of the water with solid black rock behind. The cliff face loomed high above them and Richard guessed that it was in some way connected to the mountains that surrounded the Old Ones’ fortress at the far end of Oblivion. As the Zodiac headed towards land, he looked out for Scott but there was no sign of him. It occurred to him that Scott might have been telling the truth all along. He could have been captured as he tried to leave the fortress. In a way that would be for the best. They could turn round and leave.
He looked back. There was no sign of the back-up that Cain had promised either, but Richard was confident that there were men with binoculars watching them as they made their progress towards the shore. Cain had said it would take just two minutes for the skimmers to reach the cove if they needed help.
The Zodiac hit the beach, the rubber grinding against the shingle. Greyson cut the engine and lifted the propeller clear. They sat there for a few seconds in complete silence. This was a bad idea. Richard was quite certain of it. There was a sick feeling in his stomach. But it was already too late. They had arrived.
The two of them climbed out and stood once again on land. Richard hadn’t told Matt but in the end he had brought a gun with him. It was concealed in his jacket pocket. He reached down and felt the weight of it through the material. He knew that it was ridiculous, small and insignificant compared with the danger that was immense and all around them. But it still gave him a certain comfort.
And it wasn’t the only weapon he had brought.
Greyson was crouching at the back of the Zodiac, watching them. “Are you OK?” he asked.
“Yeah. Sure,” Richard muttered.
“There’s no one around. The beach is empty. Your friend doesn’t seem to be here either.”
“He’ll come,” Matt said.
“OK. Well, good luck to you.” He threw the engine into reverse and the Zodiac backed out into the ocean, then spun round and drove away.
They were alone.
“I know it’s a bit late, but are you sure you want to go through with this?” Richard asked.
“Much too late,” Matt said. He took a step forward and his foot came down on a piece of loose shingle. He lost his balance and put a hand out to steady himself, holding onto Richard’s arm. It was a moment Richard would never forget. “It’s all going to work out in the end, Richard. Remember that. But I’m glad you’re with me. I wouldn’t have wanted to be here with anyone else. I know I can trust you. When the time comes, you’ll do what’s right.”
What did he mean by that? But there was no time.
Scott had appeared.
He had been standing well back in the shadows, a solitary figure wearing a black padded jacket with a fur collar. It was impossible to say how he had got here but he was already walking towards them, his feet crunching on the shingle. Richard felt a mixture of emotions seeing him. How long had it been since they had all been together? He remembered the garden at Nazca after the death of Professor Chambers. Scott had stormed off angrily, believing they were all against him. He had always been the outsider, identical to his brother in appearance but different in every other way. Matt had had his doubts about him even then. But none of them could have guessed that he would change sides and join the Old Ones.
So what had changed his mind and brought him here tonight? Richard glanced over his shoulder and saw that the Zodiac was already far away, heading back towards the boats. As Scott drew nearer, Richard became increasingly uneasy. This was a grim, lonely place. Everything about it – the beach, the cliff face, the sea – seemed harsh and inhospitable. If Scott really had been able to escape from the fortress, why hadn’t he simply walked into the camp?
Scott had come about halfway across the beach but now he stopped, waiting for them to climb up to him. Matt and Richard moved away from the water’s edge, every step taking them further away from safety. At last they were face-to-face.
“Hello, Scott,” Matt said.
“Hi, Matt.” Scott nodded in the direction of Richard. “I thought I told you to come alone.”
“You know Richard. I didn’t think you’d mind if he came along.”
“Of course I don’t mind. I’m glad he came.” Scott tried to smile. “It’s good to see you again, Richard.”
“It’s good to see you, Scott.” Richard tried to sound as if he meant it.
“So here we are again.” Scott made a gesture. He was wearing gloves. All his clothes looked brand new and expensive.
“You said you could help us,” Matt said.
“That’s right, Matt. That’s what I said.”
At that moment, Richard knew with absolute certainty that they shouldn’t have come. The boy who was talking wasn’t the Scott they had known. He seemed to have aged ten years – not in appearance but in the way he stood there, the way he talked. Skua Bay was a cold, arid place but it suited him well. Scott had been touched by evil and it had contaminated him. The boy he had once been was already dead.
“How many people were there camped out on the ice?” Scott went on. “Two thousand? Three? I guess quite a lot of them died this morning. What a waste of time that was! Who persuaded them that they had the slightest chance of winning the battle? I hope it wasn’t you, Matt. Because if it was, you have an awful lot of blood on your hands.”
Matt didn’t reply.
“You do realize that the whole lot of them could have been killed,” Scott went on. “By the way, that was a neat trick you pulled, breaking the ice. That was you, I suppose?”
“Yes.”
“It still wouldn’t have stopped them. The Old Ones could have jumped right over if they’d wanted, and kept coming. In fact, right now they could be out there, destroying the boats one by one. But that’s not going to happen. That’s the good news, Matt. Nobody else has to die.”
“And why is that, Scott?” Matt asked.
“Because
that’s not what they want. What’s the point of ruling the world if there’s nobody left in it? They didn’t set up Oblivion and all the rest of it because they wanted to fight the World Army. They set it up because they wanted you.”
“And how are they going to get me?”
“They already have.”
The words could have been a signal. At that moment the beach came alive, suddenly exploding out and taking shape around them. They had been there all along, in front of their eyes. They had seen them without seeing them. Flies, in their millions. The entire cliff face peeled away. It wasn’t black at all. It was white. The whole surface, every last inch, had been made up of more flies, clinging to the snow. Richard hardly dared to breathe. The air darkened as the insects poured down on them, cutting off the sea and the sky, blocking out the light.
Scott had betrayed them after all. Richard saw the flies beginning to take the shape of fifty men, an entire platoon. Already he was pulling out his gun. He knew it would be useless against the soldiers. Even when they were solid, a bullet would pass right through them … he had seen as much in the battle, earlier that day. But they weren’t his target. He would kill Scott for what he had done. It didn’t matter that he was a Gatekeeper. He deserved to die.
You can’t shoot me, Richard. You can’t move.
Scott hadn’t spoken the words. He had thought them. Richard felt him inside his head and instantly his arm came to a halt with the gun only half-raised, still pointing at the ground. He tried to step forward but his legs wouldn’t obey him. He couldn’t even shout. He was locked into place, forced to watch the trap close in.
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