Fighting Back (Battle Ground YA UK Dystopia Series Book 4)

by Rachel Churcher

I don’t want this. I don’t want to take this risk.

  “What if we tell them not to plant the bombs?”

  “If we do that, we run the risk of losing our opportunity to launch a big attack, and the government will suspect that we’ve interfered.”

  “So we want to use these weapons for something big?” I realise as I’m speaking what Fiona is going to say. The colour rises in my cheeks, and there’s a sick feeling in my stomach as I wait for her answer.

  “This could be our trigger attack, Bex. This could be the key to the coalition.”

  Spy

  KETTY

  “You’re off the Margaret Watson trial, Corporal.” Lee gives me a cold stare.

  I’m standing at ease in front of Bracken’s desk, hands behind my back. Bracken sits behind the desk, his head bowed, while Lee sits in the chair in front of me, and casually takes my job from me.

  I feel as if he’s shot me. I struggle to stand up straight, to take a breath, to keep calm.

  “Sir?”

  “I’ve given it some thought, Corporal, and I no longer believe that you are competent to handle such a high-profile event.”

  “But Sir …”

  “Do I need to spell it out for you, Corporal Smith?” He starts to count on his fingers. “Assaulting a prisoner during Enhanced Interrogation. Unprofessional conduct with a colleague. Unprofessional conduct with your commanding officer.” He points at Bracken, then continues. “Assaulting a prisoner, and then broadcasting her injuries on PIN during a prisoner exchange negotiation. Consistently failing to capture your missing recruits.” He glares at me, waiting for a response. “Have I missed anything, Corporal? Or can you think of a compelling reason for me to overlook this catalogue of incompetence?”

  I have to stop myself from staring, open-mouthed. How does he know about Conrad? And what does he mean, unprofessional conduct with Bracken?

  My throat is tight, and my voice is a whisper when I force myself to answer.

  “No, Sir.”

  Bracken’s shoulders slump, and he stares down at his desk.

  Your job depends on me, Sir. I could use some defence right now.

  Or can you see your career ending, if I lose my job?

  He’s sunk too deep in his own misery to help me. I’m on my own.

  Lee glances between us, and rolls his eyes.

  “I want the paperwork handed over by tomorrow, Corporal. Everything you’ve done so far.” I nod. I don’t trust myself to speak. “I’ll send Conrad down for it. Dismissed.”

  I turn and leave the room, glancing at Bracken on my way out. He’s still staring at his desk. Still silent. Still letting Lee take his anger out on me.

  Thanks for the vote of confidence, Sir.

  *****

  “So you’re off the trial?”

  I put down the pen I’m writing with, and give Conrad a cold stare. He sits himself on the front of my desk as the office door closes behind him.

  “Apparently.”

  “What did he use to get rid of you? Elizabeth’s injuries? Missing recruits? What you did in Enhanced Interrogation yesterday?”

  My fists are clenched on the desk, but I force myself to stay calm. I want to know what he knows. I want to know why Lee is doing this.

  I nod. “Plus whatever you told him about our evening out.”

  I’m expecting a smirk, but he looks serious.

  “Perhaps it’s for the best, with all the personal stuff between you and Margaret.”

  “There’s nothing …”

  He holds up his hand. “I heard you, Ketty. We all did. It sounded pretty personal to me.”

  I nod again. “You were …”

  “… in the interrogation room with the brigadier. Yeah.” He looks at me. “What did she do to you, anyway?”

  None of your business, David.

  I shake my head.

  He smiles. “She wouldn’t talk, would she? Just like her standard interviews. Even the men in black couldn’t make her talk.” He watches me. “Tough kid. Bad luck, Ketty. Those are the worst. They’re no fun at all.”

  I give him my idiot recruit stare. “Enhanced Interrogation isn’t meant to be fun, David. It’s meant to get results.”

  He gives me a long look. “Oh, but it is though, isn’t it?”

  Really, David?

  I look away. This is not a conversation I want to have.

  “So Lee’s mad with you again. And you’re still in trouble with Franks.” He picks up the pen I’ve been writing with, and starts playing with the lid.

  I give him a hard stare. “You, too.”

  He shrugs. “Don’t worry about me, Ketty. It’s you they’re disappointed with at the moment. I’m pretty safe, for now. Lee thinks you’re getting sidetracked.”

  I sit up in my chair. That’s what Lee said, yesterday. “Don’t get sidetracked.”

  As if they’ve talked about it. As if there’s a plan.

  And things start to fall into place.

  “David, did Lee ask you to take me out for a drink? Did he suggest the night out?”

  Conrad smiles, looking at the pen in his hand.

  “David?”

  He shrugs. “Does it matter?”

  “Yes, it matters.” I stand up, lean over the desk, and take the pen from him. “It matters.”

  “OK, then yes. He did.” He watches my reaction.

  Don’t give him anything, Ketty. Don’t take the bait.

  “Huh.” I nod, thinking about Lee, counting the accusations off on his fingers. Margaret, Conrad, Bracken, Elizabeth. He witnessed my assault on Margaret. He’s got Conrad to tell him about the night out. Everyone saw Elizabeth on PIN. But Bracken?

  There’s a dizzy, sick feeling in my stomach. Conrad was here. He heard Bracken, shouting at me after I cleaned his flat. That’s what Lee is using against me. And it has to be Conrad who told him what happened.

  What else did Lee want? What was he hoping to learn, by sending Conrad drinking with me?

  Franks.

  He wants to know about Franks. Why she’s talking to me. Why she gave me the access card for Belmarsh.

  I meet Conrad’s gaze. “Did Lee send you to spy on me?” He shrugs, and looks away.

  I think about Lee. About working with him on the bunker raid, and keeping Bracken in the dark. Lee wanted Bracken to fail. He was looking for a reason to end his career without making a fuss. If Lee can take my job away, if he can make Franks send me home, then Bracken will fail. And Lee knows that.

  “David, is Lee trying to get rid of Bracken?”

  Conrad spreads his hands in an extravagant shrug. “How should I know what Lee wants?”

  “What have you told him, David? What did you tell Lee?”

  He looks at me again. “I told him what he needed to know.”

  “To take the trial away from me?”

  “To protect himself.”

  And it all makes sense. Franks sees Bracken’s drinking as the lever she needs to get him to behave. Lee sees it as a liability.

  I smile at him. “He’s afraid of Bracken, isn’t he?” Conrad looks away. “He thinks Bracken is going to screw up. He thinks Bracken is going to destroy the Terrorism Committee.” I run my fingers over my hair. “Lee wants Bracken gone, and I’m the way he’s going to make that happen.”

  Conrad clears his throat, and looks around the office. “So. The Watson trial. Is the paperwork ready?”

  I shake my head. “Not yet. There are some notes I need to write up.”

  “Tomorrow, then?”

  I shrug. “I guess.”

  Leaving

  BEX

  “Jake’s back!”

  Amy is grinning as she bursts into the common room. I look up from the card game I’m playing with Dan.

  “Jake’s here?”

  She nods. “He’s picking up his things before they fly him out.”

  Dan jumps up. “Can we see him?”

  “The guards said we could talk to him when his bags are pack
ed.”

  She drops onto the sofa next to me.

  Dan glances towards the door. “Is he in his room?”

  “Jake and half the Scottish army, yeah.”

  Dan looks at me, and I’m on my feet as soon as he starts walking.

  “They said to wait …”

  But we’re out of the door before she can finish.

  *****

  The far end of the corridor is full of soldiers. A couple of OIE guards stand outside Jake’s door, and seven or eight people in camouflage fatigues lean against the walls and guard the door to the stairwell.

  They’re wearing helmets and they’re carrying machine guns.

  “How dangerous do they think he is?” I whisper to Dan.

  “After what he did? I guess they can’t take any chances.”

  There’s the sound of the common room door opening behind us, and Amy follows us into the corridor. I knock on Charlie’s door as we walk past.

  The guard at Jake’s door holds up a hand as we walk towards him.

  “Hold it there, please.” He looks over his shoulder into Jake’s room, and then back at us. “He’s not ready yet.”

  “Can I help?” Dan steps forward, and the nearest soldier turns towards us, raising his gun. Dan puts his hands up, and we take a step back.

  “Seriously?” Amy shouts from behind us. “What do you think we’re going to do? We just want to say goodbye to our friend.”

  The soldier smirks, and lowers his gun. The guard shrugs.

  Charlie’s door opens, and she steps out behind Amy. When I turn round, she whispers “What’s going on?”

  Amy shrugs. “Waiting for Jake. He’s packing his bags, and then they’re taking him to the airport.”

  Charlie folds her arms and leans her shoulder against the wall, watching the soldiers. “How long before they leave?”

  “Not sure.”

  “And you’re sure Jake wants to see you?”

  Amy shakes her head, and her voice is quiet. “I don’t know. But I want to see him.”

  Charlie puts her hand on Amy’s shoulder as I turn back towards the guards.

  There’s a scuffling sound and a shout from Jake’s room, and the soldiers all raise their guns, circling round and aiming at the open door.

  “Hey!” I’m shouting before I realise what I’m doing, and I raise my hands slowly as two soldiers swing their machine guns to aim at me. Dan lifts his hands next to me, and we wait for the soldiers to back down.

  My heart is thumping in my chest. I’m looking down the barrels of two guns. And I’m angry.

  Jake doesn’t deserve this. He doesn’t need all these people, and all these guns. He’s a sixteen-year-old boy, unarmed, trying to pack his belongings into a rucksack.

  I want to speak up, but all I can see are the guns. I think about the look Jake gave me, the last time I spoke to him. The fear in his eyes. I think about my targets, on the firing range. What a bullet could do to me.

  To Jake.

  I stand still, and wait.

  There are more voices from Jake’s room, and then a soldier walks out into the corridor. He waves a hand, and the soldiers facing the door lower their guns and step back.

  And Jake follows.

  He looks small and fragile, next to all these soldiers. His hair hangs over his eyes, and he looks down at the floor as he walks, his rucksack slung over one shoulder. Two more soldiers walk behind him.

  The guard taps one of them on the shoulder, and points to us. The soldier nods, and reaches forward to tap Jake on his arm.

  He flinches, and then turns round.

  He takes in the soldiers and the guns, me and Dan with our hands up, Amy and Charlie behind us.

  And he smirks.

  “Jake!” Amy’s shout makes me jump, and I make sure my hands stay where the soldiers can see them.

  “Bye, Amy. Bye, Dan.” He sounds cheerful. As if he’s leaving for a few minutes, not walking away forever. He leans to look past me, careful not to meet my eyes. “Bye, Charlie.” And he turns away, lifting his hand above his head in an obscene gesture as he walks to the end of the corridor.

  The soldiers lower their guns, and warn us to stay where we are. One of the guards closes Jake’s door, and gestures to the soldiers to leave.

  He tips his head towards us. “They won’t be any trouble.”

  I drop my hands as they walk away, trying to stop them from shaking. My pulse is loud in my ears, and I close my eyes and lean against the wall.

  I can hear Amy sobbing behind me. Dan puts his hand on my shoulder.

  “I’m sorry, Bex. You didn’t deserve that.”

  I brush tears from my eyes. “Neither did you.”

  I bend my knees and sink down the wall until I’m sitting on the floor. Dan sits down next to me.

  “At least we know he’s OK.”

  I nod. “And really, really safe, as long as he doesn’t do anything stupid.”

  Dan laughs. “They’re not going to let anyone touch him. Not while he’s on Scottish soil.”

  “They’re not going to let him out of their sight, either.”

  “Sorry, Bex.” Amy sits down in front of me, cross-legged on the floor. She wipes the tears from her face with her sleeves.

  I shrug. “It’s not your fault. I’m sorry he didn’t want to talk to you. That’s … that’s unfair.”

  She nods. “Thanks,” she whispers, and reaches out her hand. I take it, and hold it.

  “Tea,” says Dan, looking up at Charlie. “I think we need tea.”

  Charlie nods. “I’ll get the kettle on.”

  “I’ll help.” Dan stands up and follows Charlie to the common room, and I notice as he walks away that his hands are shaking.

  *****

  “I know what you mean, about it not being real until it’s real.” I’m sitting beside Dan on the sofa, my hands wrapped round my second mug of tea.

  “Margie?”

  “Jake.” And the bombings, and the committee. But I can’t say that.

  Dan nods. “So this is it. We knew he was going, and we knew where they’d be taking him. But now it’s actually happening.”

  “Now it’s real.”

  “He’s only going to the Netherlands because you made them take him.” Amy sounds angry. “Doesn’t he know that?”

  I shrug. “Probably. But he doesn’t care. That probably makes it worse, if he thinks I’m the one who saved him.”

  Amy sighs, and shakes her head. “I don’t understand. I don’t understand why he hates us so much.”

  I shrug. I’ve had plenty of time to think about this.

  “He got beaten up by Ketty, when we left you at Camp Bishop.”

  “You got beaten up by Ketty! I was left with her as well. Why does that make him special?”

  “Because he thinks we did it on purpose. He thinks we set him up. That the plan was always to leave you two behind to take the consequences.”

  Amy lets out a shout of frustration. “Why does he have to be so stupid?”

  “He did have a loaded gun to his head, when we drove away.” Charlie looks round at us. “No one else knows how that felt. And it was the Camp Commander holding the gun. I think that made staying there harder, knowing that the person in charge could do that to him.”

  Amy nods, and leans back on the sofa. “He shouldn’t have ignored Bex like that. There’s no excuse.”

  “Thank you.” I look round the room. At my friends, sitting with me. “Thank you for sticking with me.”

  “Of course, Bex!”

  “You didn’t deserve …”

  “Are you kidding?”

  I shake my head. “It feels as if my tribe is getting smaller. I used to have Dan and Margie. Then I had you, and Saunders, and Jake. We had Dr Richards, and Jo, and Will. And Neesh, and Caroline.” I take a deep breath. “And now? Margie’s in London. Dr Richards and Will are locked up somewhere, if they’re still alive. Neesh and Caroline and Jo are in the Netherlands, and now Jake’s going to
join them. And Saunders …” I can’t finish that thought. I make myself breathe again. “So thank you. Thank you for sticking with me. Thank you for being my tribe.”

  “Thanks for being ours, Bex. Even if you are deserting us for the bright lights of the committee.” Dan puts his arm round my shoulders.

  “I am not!” I nudge him in the ribs with my elbow, and he pulls his arm away.

  I raise my mug of tea. “To Jake. I hope he finds a new tribe.”

  And I hope my tribe sticks with me, whatever the committee decides.

  The others raise their mugs. “To Jake.”

  Revelations

  KETTY

  “Time’s up, Ketty. I need the Watson files.”

  I stand up as Conrad walks in, ready to help him unload the filing cabinet.

  “So, who’s taking over? Who gets to sponge off all my hard work?”

  He perches himself on my desk again, and grins. “That would be me.”

  I stare at him. I feel sick. Everything I’ve done, all the effort I’ve put in – and it’s Conrad who gets to take the credit?

  I roll my eyes.

  “You’re joking.”

  “It must be my reward, for sidetracking you.”

  The look I give him is enough to make him move off my desk and take a step back.

  He’s serious, Ketty. He’s taking this away from you.

  “Fine,” I say, sitting down. “They’re in the second drawer.” I wave my hand at the filing cabinet, then pick up my pen and start working.

  He opens the drawer. “Any chance of a hand to take these upstairs?”

  I give him another look, and he nods. “OK. I’ll shift them myself.”

  He lifts the first batch of files from the drawer, puts them under his arm, and walks out of the office.

  I put the pen down on the desk, and lean back in my chair, running my hands over my face.

  How did you get here, Ketty?

  There’s a fight going on, between Franks and Lee and Bracken, and I’m losing. And I don’t even know whose side I’m supposed to be on.

  While Bracken’s safe, I’m safe. That’s what Lee said. So as long as I keep Bracken working, I get to stay. I get to chase Bex and her friends. I get to keep my job. Franks wants Bracken to stay, for now, but Lee wants him gone.