by Kevin Brooks
What do you mean? I said.
Weve arranged a display —
We need to get back to the storehouse now, Gun Sur said bluntly, interrupting the Deputy. Wele tell you whats really going to happen when we get there.
When we got back to the storehouse, and Gun Sur and Pilgrim led us over to the armored truck, the first thing I noticed was that most of the armor was fake. The reason I hadnt noticed before was that we hadnt been so close to the truck before, but now that we were standing right next to it, the deception was obvious. Some of the thinner metal panels were real, but most of the armor was actually wooden paneling that had been painted to look like metal. It was an impressive piece of work, and unless you were as close as I was – which obviously the Dau were never going to be – it looked like genuine armor plating.
The second thing I noticed was that most of the trucks original bodywork – at least the parts of it that were still visible – were eaten away with rust, and some parts were so paper-thin and peppered with holes that it was a miracle they were still in one piece.
As youve probably guessed by now, Gun Sur said, the battle plan that Deputy Pilgrim gave to the Dau was a fantasy. If we packed this truck with TNT and tried to drive it across Nomansland, it would fall apart before it got anywhere near the Dau camp. And thats if it had an engine.
He nodded at Pilgrim. The Deputy went round to the front of the vehicle and lifted up a large metal lid just in front of the drivers compartment.
This, Pilgrim explained, stepping aside to let us see, is where the engine that drives the truck should be.
We went over and looked down into a large empty compartment. It clearly wasnt meant to be empty, but whatever was supposed to be in there was gone. All that was left was a few struts of rusted metal, some equally rusty springs, and dozens of frayed wires and cables sticking out all over the place.
Without an engine, Pilgrim said, the trucks totally useless.
So hows Hensch going to see its in full working order? I asked.
I told him that its being moved out of the building on Friday night to check the brakes and gears. Its only going to be a very brief test – just in and out of the building – but Hensch knows the exact time and location, so all he has to do is find somewhere that gives him a reasonably clear view of the storehouse, and with his nightvision glasses hele be able to see everything he needs to. All we have to do is make it look real.
Whats the point? I said. If the trucks useless, and we cant use it, whats the point of making Hensch think we can?
Pilgrim glanced at Gun Sur.
Gun Sur nodded – go ahead, tell him.
Ive promised Hensch that on the night of the attack Ile disable the guards in our watchtowers. When I signal him to let him know that its done, hele give the order for his people to cross Nomansland and gather outside our wall. And thats all of his operational people, by the way---not just his Fighters, but anyone whose capable of firing a weapon. So that means therell be close to 700 of them waiting on the other side of the wall – well away from the section thats going to be blown apart – and what Ive told Hensch is that as soon as the hole has been blasted in the wall, Ile detonate the TNT in the truck. The massive explosion will kill or maim scores of our people, and meanwhile the Dau can simply stream in through the hole in the wall and finish off whoevers left---
Pilgrim grinned.
All except me, of course. I wont be anywhere near the truck when it goes off. And once the Dau have secured the town, and its safe for me to show myself, Ile be welcomed with open arms and given my due reward. Thats what Hensch has promised me anyway. In return for my services, hese not only going to make me his second-in-command, but I have his word – and the word of his people – that when he finally retires, or upon his death, Ile be made Marshal. And since the Dau will have wiped us all out by then, that means, in effect, that Ile be the leader of the entire human race.
Very appropriate, Chola Se muttered.
Pilgrim smiled at her.
She didnt smile back.
I knew she didnt trust a word that he said, and that she could barely bring herself to speak to him, but while I didnt trust him either – and I found it sickening to have to talk to him – I thought it was best, for both of us, to keep our feelings to ourselves and play along with him, at least for now.
So whats really going to happen? I asked him.
Again, he glanced at Gun Sur before answering, and again Gun Sur gave him the nod.
Instead of packing the TNT into the truck, he said, turning back to us, weare going to plant it all around the edge of the cavern roof. The rest of the plan – from the Dau point of view – will go ahead as arranged. Wele let them cross Nomansland and wait outside the wall, and wele blast the hole in the wall at the prearranged time. At that point, of course, theyle be expecting me to detonate the TNT in the truck, and when that doesnt happen theyre going to realize that somethings gone wrong. They wont know if Ive simply been unable to trigger the explosion for some reason, or if Ive betrayed them, but theyle quickly realize that it doesnt make any difference. Theyre all already there, all 700 of them, and theres a massive hole in our wall. And whether Ive betrayed them or not, they still outnumber us 5 to 1. Theyre never going to get a better chance of annihilating us. So theyle carry on as planned, and when Hensch gives the order, all 700 of them will come swarming in through the fallen wall – guns blazing, war cries splitting the air – and meanwhile wele be waiting for them, hunkered down in our defensive positions, just watching and waiting---and wele wait until as many of them as possible are directly above the cavern, and then wele detonate the TNT in the roof. The initial blast will take out a lot of them straightaway, but at the same time the ground beneath their feet will collapse into the cavern, and anyone within the blast area – dead or alive – will go down with it. Wele have our Fighters – and everyone else who can fire a gun – strategically positioned around the outskirts of town to pick off any stragglers who manage to remain above ground, but the rest of those who survived the explosion will be trapped inside the cavern, with no way out, and nowhere to hide.
What about the tunnel? I said. They could escape —
The tunnel will be blocked off. They wont be able to use it. And you saw the walls of the cavern, didnt you? Theyre far too steep to climb. So basically weare going to end up with all the surviving Dau trapped in a massive hole in the ground, completely at our mercy.
No one spoke for a while. Pilgrim didnt have to spell out what would happen to the surviving Dau. Wede do exactly what theyd do to us in the same situation – take their young children and their women of childbearing age, and slaughter the rest. And once wede taken care of those in the cavern, wede deal with those left behind at their camp – the oldest of their Olders, their sick, their babies and mothers---
Wede obliterate the Dau once and for all.
Wede exterminate them.
I remembered then what Starry had said when Ide told him that Gun Sur was planning the final battle.
Whatever you think of him, hede told me, and theres many who think hese had his day, the Marshals no fool. Hele have a plan. Hese probably been working on it for months, maybe even years. Its just a matter of what it is and whether it stands any chance of working or not.
And as I stood there now, thinking about what Pilgrim had just told us – running the plan through my mind, imagining the reality of it, trying to find any obvious faults – I knew Starry was right. Gun Sur wasnt a fool. His plan wasnt flawless, obviously. No plan is guaranteed to work. There are always unforeseen circumstances, unexpected problems, things that dont go the way theyre supposed to. And there were plenty of things about this plan that I could easily imagine going wrong. But it wasnt impossible to imagine it working either.
I could see it---
It could work.
But then I looked at Chola Se, wondering how she was feeling and what she was thinking about, and as we held each others gaze for a moment – and she let me see bey
ond her emptiness – I knew that I was wrong.
Gun Surs plan could never work.
I could see that now---
I could see the truth in Chola Ses pain.
Wede never destroy the Dau.
Gun Sur cleared his throat then – ending the silence – and as we turned our attention to him, he spoke directly to Chola Se.
Ime sure youre aware that weve been running out of water for some time now, he said to her. But what you probably dont know is that if things carry on as they are, weve only got enough water to last us another 4 or 5 weeks. If it doesnt rain before then, the only way we can avoid dying of thirst is by finding our drinking water elsewhere, which means sending people out into the Deathlands. And you know whats going to happen if we do that, dont you?
The Dau will get them.
Gun Sur nodded. It doesnt matter how many we send out or how well armed they are, the Dau will always outnumber us. And they know where all the water is too. So all theyle have to do is sit tight and wait for us to come looking for it, and then theyle pick us off at will. And while weare losing more and more people every day, the rest of us will be getting weaker all the time, slowly dying of thirst, until eventually wele be too weak to defend ourselves. And that, Ime afraid, will be the end of us. So you see, we have to do something before that happens. We have to eliminate the Dau before they eliminate us. And the only way we can do that is by infiltrating their ranks and luring them into a trap. Which is why---
He hesitated, not sure how to say what he wanted to say.
So Chola Se said it for him. Which is why Pilgrim had to do what he did to me.
Yes, Gun Sur said. He had to preserve his cover in order to preserve our plan. If hede given himself away, that would have been the end of it.
The end of our people, Chola Se added.
Thats right. And thats why its so important that the plan goes ahead without any unnecessary complications. He paused, his eyes still fixed on Chola Se. Nothing can be allowed to jeopardize our survival---do you understand what Ime saying? Nothing matters more than our people.
Chola Se held his gaze for a second, then lowered her eyes and stared thoughtfully at the ground.
I glanced at Pilgrim, wondering if he was going to say anything, but from the way he was just standing there – gazing around the storehouse, idly picking at his teeth – it was plain to see that not only did he have nothing to say, but it hadnt even occurred to him that he ought to have something to say.
Thank you, Chola Se said quietly to Gun Sur. I appreciate your honesty.
He nodded. Ime sorry it had to happen.
Me too, she said, looking over at Pilgrim.
The Deputy carried on ignoring her – pretending to watch as a Fighter fitted a new panel to the truck – but Chola Se wasnt going to back down, and she just kept standing there, staring blankly at him, waiting for him to look back at her. He made her wait a few more seconds, then turned casually – as if hede only just realized she was looking at him – and finally met her gaze. I thought at first that she might be seeking an apology from him, or at least some kind of expression of regret, but I should have known better. She wasnt after an apology – she knew it wouldnt have been genuine anyway – she simply wanted him to hear what she had to say, and she wanted to make sure he was looking her in the eye when she said it.
I can smell your heart, Pilgrim, she said as their eyes met. I can smell it now, and I could smell it in the dungeon.
Yeh? he said dismissively. And what does it smell of?
The truth.
When we got back to Starrys house, we found him sitting at the kitchen table stripping down and cleaning a doublebarreled shotgun.
I got it from Cruke, he told me. He heard I was looking for a new weapon, and there were a couple of bits and pieces he needed that he thought I might have, so he came over yesterday to see if we could trade. He had the shotgun and a Luger – he wouldnt say where he got them from – and I ended up taking the shotgun.
I thought you wanted another pistol? I said.
I did---but to be honest, Jeet, my aims not so good these days. I think my eyesights going. When I shot at the eel the other day, I missed it by miles.
He picked up the shotgun.
Its almost impossible to miss with this. All you have to do is point it in the general direction of the target and pull the trigger---
His voice trailed off and he glanced across at Chola Se. She was standing quietly by the window, gazing out at the distant sea, her face a picture of troubled thoughts.
Youre both welcome to stay here as long as you like, Starry said, turning back to me. There are 2 empty rooms upstairs which I never use. Feel free to have either of them, or both of them---whatever you need, okay? And if you need —
Pilgrims lying, Chola Se said.
We both looked over at her. She was still staring out of the window.
He wasnt acting when he was with me in the dungeon, she continued, her voice cold and distant. He wasnt just playing a part to preserve his cover. He loved it – the violence, the humiliation---
She turned from the window and looked at me.
He liked hurting me, Jeet. He didnt do it because he had to, he did it because he wanted to. Ive never been so sure of anything in my life. The mans a monster.
I know, I told her.
And hese lying about everything else too. Hese not just pretending to be a traitor, he is a traitor.
Is that what he told you? Starry said. That hese only pretending to be a traitor?
She nodded.
And Gun Sur confirmed it, I added. He said its all part of his battle plan —
Gun Sur told you his battle plan?
Yeh---but I cant tell you what it is.
Why not?
Gun Sur told us not to. He gave us a direct order not to share it with anyone else, especially you, and I gave him my word that I wouldnt.
Starry smiled. And he believed you?
I didnt feel any guilt – or any sense of wrongdoing at all – when I sat down with Chola Se at the kitchen table and we went ahead and told Starry everything. Ive always recognized and accepted Gun Surs authority, and Ile never usually question his orders, but my relationship with Starry is on another level altogether, and the notion of keeping any secrets from him is as meaningless as keeping them from myself.
When Ide finished telling him everything that Gun Sur had told us, laying out all the details of the battle plan, I was fully expecting Starry to confirm what we both thought – that the plan stood no chance of working because Pilgrims betrayal was genuine. It was Starry after all whode suggested the Deputy was a traitor in the first place. But now it seemed he wasnt quite so sure anymore.
Ime not for one moment saying that Pilgrims a good man, he told Chola Se. Youre absolutely right about him – hese monstrous. What he did to you is the most abhorrent thing that any human being can do to another. But Ime afraid it doesnt prove hese a traitor. He would have done what he did to you whether hese a traitor or not. So while I realize how difficult it must be for you, we have to look beyond that.
Its not difficult, Chola Se said. I hate him for what he did, and Ile kill him if I ever get the chance, but Ime not the Chola Se he did it to anymore. Shese still part of me somewhere, but Ime not living her pain anymore.
Starry nodded, accepting her words without question, but I knew him well enough to know that he wasnt convinced. He knew as well as I did that Chola Se was still very much living her pain.
Theres no doubt that Pilgrims a degenerate and dishonorable man, he continued. And I dont doubt for a second that hese capable of turning traitor. But hede have to be either completely stupid or delusional to believe that the Dau would reward him for betraying his own people.
Why wouldnt they reward him? Chola Se asked.
Starry looked at her. The Dau detest betrayal as much as we do. Theyre perfectly happy to seek it out and encourage it in their enemy, and to make the most of it in whatever way they can, bu
t no matter how useful a traitor might be to them – and no matter how much he or she might profess to have changed their allegiance – the bottom line for the Dau is that a traitors always a traitor. And Pilgrim knows that. He knows what the Dau will do to a traitor whose outlived his usefulness.
Theyd kill him?
No question. Theyd string him up from the nearest tree.
And Pilgrims not an idiot, is he? I said.
No, Starry agreed. Hese a psychopath, and a self-obsessed savage, but hese definitely not an idiot.
What about being delusional? You said hede have to be either completely stupid or delusional to believe that the Dau would reward his betrayal.
Starry shook his head. I think hese probably delusional enough to genuinely believe he has all the qualities to be our Marshal, but I dont think hese so out of touch with reality that he doesnt know what happens to traitors when they no longer serve any purpose.
So do you think hese telling the truth? Chola Se asked. Do you think hese really just pretending to be a traitor?
Starry frowned. I honestly dont know. Its certainly possible. And if he is deceiving the Dau, and his deception works---well, you have to admit its not a bad plan. And who knows – with a bit of luck, it might even succeed.
But what if youre wrong? Chola Se said. What if Pilgrim is working for the Dau?
Starry sighed. Youre right. We need to find out one way or the other. Its no good just guessing. We need hard facts---or at least some kind of evidence. If Pilgrims a traitor, we need to be able to prove it somehow. We need something we can take to Gun Sur---
Like what?
I dont know. I need to look into it---Ile do some digging around, see what I can find out.
What kind of digging around? I said. You cant just go round asking questions about Pilgrim, or poking around in his —
Ile be careful, okay? He grinned. Do I look like a man who doesnt know what hese doing?