Anhur

by Wayne Marinovich

  Paul watched Jonathan leave then took a long swig of whiskey. He stood up, feeling the rush as he swayed a little, then walked over to the antique wooden coat closet. Opening it up, he placed the bottle amongst the other half-empty ones. He heard footsteps and closed the closet door.

  ‘Dear Lord, Sarah. What happened to you?’

  ‘That’s what happens when you go against the NAG,’ Jonathan said, stepping around Sarah, who shot him a glance of disdain. She had dry blood caked on her face and her hair that was stuck to her plaid shirt that had been pulled out on the one side of her jeans. She wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, inspecting it for blood before lowering it again.

  ‘I see you are still keeping this liberal loon around. I thought you’d have thrown his cowardly ass out of here,’ she said.

  ‘Now just a minute,’ Jonathan said.

  ‘Let it go,’ Paul said. ‘Please return to transcribing the last recording I gave you.’

  Jonathan stared at him and across at Sarah, before walking out of the study towards the lounge.

  ‘Come and sit, dear,’ Paul said, taking a seat in his chair again.

  Sarah walked over to a tattered, double-seater couch. She groaned, wincing as she sat down. ’Damn, that’s comfortable. Could I sleep on it for a few days?’

  ‘Of course you can.’ Sarah nodded in the direction of the lounge. ‘Oh, don’t worry about him. His bark is worse than his bite,’ Paul said. ‘Now, what the hell happened? I thought I’d lost you again when they raided the radio station.’

  ‘It was close. They killed everyone but me.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘I’m sure you heard that Mike was shot in the studio, and Dan, our producer, out on the street.’

  ‘That’s disgraceful.’

  ‘I know. I’ve just come from their families. They’re devastated.’

  ‘I’m sure they are. It looks like you took quite a beating too.’

  Sarah touched her nose, two black eyes hinting at the break. ‘They beat me up a few times while they tried to interrogate me.’

  ‘How did you get free?’

  ‘I didn’t strike a deal if that’s what you are implying.’

  Paul smiled. Her aggressiveness and fiery nature reminded him of her mother. ’We’ve been through enough together to know that would never happen.’

  ‘A Russian ex-FSB has arrived at the NAG base.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Flew over from the NEG to speak to me about the Hooded Man.’

  ‘His name Kirilenko?’

  Sarah sat open-mouthed. ‘You’ve heard of him?’

  ‘I know of him. His name came up in the chats I had with the Hooded Man. Was one of his true friends.’

  ‘He also knew the Hooded Man’s real name,’ she said.

  ‘Kyle Gibbs.’

  ‘I forgot that you would know that fact.’

  ‘Why do you think he went out of his way to find you in San Francisco?’

  ‘You sent him?’

  ‘I did.’

  Sarah stood up, tears welling up in her eyes and walked over to Paul. A warm feeling flowed through his body as she hugged him with all the strength she had left. So many years apart. He’d missed out on so many hugs.

  ‘He never told me that.’

  ‘I asked him to say that he stumbled upon you. He agreed that it would be best, knowing that we’d been separated, and we were both involved in subversive activities which the NAG could exploit. I promised not to tell you his real name to protect us all.’

  Sarah went back to the couch. ‘Is there anything else you could share with me that would stop Gibbs getting caught?’

  Paul shook his head. ‘We have to wait and see what happens. I don’t think the Russian is here to bring him in, but you know the reputation of the hunter that is leading the chase.’

  ‘I do, and I feel so helpless. The people out there need a hero, and we can’t stand by and watch this one get taken away.’

  ‘I agree. They understand he’s just a man, but I think many believe he’s some cartoon hero. We do need to help, but we might have to sit this one out for a little longer. He has more attention on him than ever before. Us going down there and getting caught won’t help the cause out at all.’

  Sarah nodded and looked at her bloodstained hands.

  ‘Why don’t I call and see how it’s going?’ Paul said, getting up and walking over to the satphone. He dialled a number and listened to the ringtone. The answer came.

  ‘Hello there,’ Paul said, then pulled the phone away from his ear. The screen flashed the words, call disconnected. He redialled, and it went through to voicemail. ‘That’s the first time he’s put the phone down on me.’

  • • •

  ‘You’re not being responsible, Gibbs, you’re being a fucking idiot,’ Smithy said.

  They were sitting on the benches in the back of the truck, eating dehydrated rice and meat, cooked by Fingers on the fire outside. Toby was sitting upright watching the men eat, his mangy tail wagging on the floor. Smithy threw down his empty metal plate with a clang that raised Toby’s ears before he cocked his head to the side and stared at the men. In front of them were tents that the boys had set up. The sun had already dipped below the distant hills, but a golden glow lit them up.

  ‘It’s the best course of action for everyone,’ Gibbs said.

  ‘What am I supposed to do with everyone when they get back here, if they make it back? If Rebus kills you all then what I supposed to do?’

  ‘You find another enclave and join up there, or head back to Europe.’

  ‘That’s just nuts. I’m fifty years old and in no mental state to start a new life under the NEG thumb.’

  ‘Then go to Mexico. When the prisoners get back, they’ll need you there to make sure they either get back to Constance or you take them somewhere else.’

  ‘What about your son? And Grace and Karen. What do I tell them?’

  ‘That I did what was necessary to try and ensure that they have a normal life going forward. Haven’t you noticed that people that get near to us tend to die pretty fucking quickly?’

  ‘It’s not the same world that we grew up in.’

  ‘I know that, you numpty,’ Gibbs said. ‘I will do the best I can to give Stuart a better life. And right now, that might mean being away from me for a while.’

  ‘That’s just bollocks.’

  ‘I need to stop dragging violence into their world. You cannot argue against that simple fact. My presence here is causing more problems for people than the actual help we give.’

  ‘I get that you’re worried and concerned about Stuart’s welfare. That’s natural, but take a look around you. It’s a violent world, and they’ll need you when they get out.’

  ‘Kind words, but Rebus won’t simply release the prisoners.’

  ‘Let’s get Andrei to bring the NAG into this. They’ve already put manpower into a rescue mission.’

  ‘But that’s not their priority. Once again, they’re not saving people because of me. You heard what that gang member said, Rebus might want to ransom me off. That means that there will be a meeting with the NAG anyway.’

  ‘Let’s call Andrei and discuss this.’

  ‘Thanks, mate. I appreciated all you are trying to do,’ Gibbs said, getting up from the bench, and walking to the side door of the truck. ‘You’ve been a great friend, and I would appreciate it if you would take care of the prisoners when they get here.’

  ‘Fuck off. If you cared about us all, you’d find another way. The old Gibbs would have stayed and fought this out.’

  ‘I’m done with all this fighting and killing. Tomorrow evening, I’m taking this truck into that town, and the prisoners will be driving out. Get Fingers, and start unloading all the vital stuff into the van.’

  ‘Do it yourself.’

  • • •

  ‘That bloody Scotsman has always been stubborn,’ Andrei said, his voice soft and nearly inaudibl
e over the satphone.

  Smithy was standing alongside the van, looking down a dusty road that headed east. The morning sun was already lighting up the horizon. He turned around to see Fingers and Blondie coming out of the back of their tents. Gibbs’s tent was empty, the flap open. ‘I woke up at about four-thirty this morning to the sound of a creaking wheel bearing moving past my tent.’

  ‘You sure that he’s gone there?’

  ‘Of course I’m sure. We discussed it all last night. He told everyone including Rebus Maze that he would surrender himself this evening. I should have known that he had another plan up his sleeve.’

  ‘That sounds like him. How is he going to secure the prisoner exchange?’

  ‘I have no bloody idea, that’s why I’m calling you. One man against the 38s doesn’t bode well for the prisoners.’

  ‘I don’t see what I can do to stop him from here. Does he have another satphone in the truck? Or a radio?’

  ‘No, we only have this one phone. You need to head to the town they’re staying at and intercept him or at least attack them to create a diversion. I am going up there now with a sniper rifle to be ready when the sun rises.’

  ‘Give me time to talk to the people I’m travelling with.’

  ‘Tell that bounty hunter that his bounty is going on a suicide mission,’ Smithy said.

  ‘That’s not going to help. He gets his bounty for Gibbs’s body too.’

  ‘If that is the case, Gibbs is fucked. I’d better get going.’

  ‘Take it easy, my friend. Don’t go up there and mess up his plan,’ Andrei said. ‘You of all people know that he is good with getting himself in and out of tough situations.’

  ‘You haven’t heard him recently. It’s like he’s giving up and resigned himself to the fact that this is a one-way mission.’

  ‘We’re all on a one-way mission here. Give me an hour, and text me the coordinates of the town where the gang have holed up. I think the Bounty Hunter may have it, but I want to make sure.’

  ‘It’s Gatlinburg. I’ll send the info to you. Make sure you bloody hurry because all their lives are at risk now.’

  Chapter 35

  Broadway Street, Nashville, Tennessee, USA – 2043

  ‘I guess you give the term Russian roulette new meaning,’ Elijah Jones said, slamming the door of his van. He walked towards Andrei who was leaning against the van’s long bonnet staring across at the abandoned building that used to be the Honky Tonk Bar. There had been a heavy dew during the night, and the road glistened.

  ‘What?’Andrei said, a cigarette hanging from his mouth. He was staring up at the three prostitutes who were standing on the first floor of the building. One waved to him and opened up the front of her coat. He shuddered.

  ‘Looks like every cigarette you smoke could be your last,’ Elijah said.

  ‘Why do you say that?’

  ‘You’re not well. I can see that.’

  ’Are you a doctor now?’

  ‘You don’t have an appetite and are in visible pain every time you cough.’

  ‘It’s nothing,’ Andrei said, flicking the cigarette at a feral dog sniffing around the base of the red-brick building. It looked up at them then continued running down Broadway Street towards the river.

  ‘Nothing? One of my men found a few of your nose rags. They were full of blood.’

  ‘You’re going through my things now?’ Andrei said, his gaze following the dog as it looked up at two approaching Scavengers, then darted back across the road to the other pavement. ‘I thought it was only Alonso who was going through my stuff.’

  Elijah smiled, his teeth showing. ‘I didn’t get my reputation or establish my success rate without knowing exactly who I’m dealing with.’

  Andrei studied the tall man. ‘The blood is nothing.’

  ‘How long do you have?’

  A loud ringing from the satphone on the big African American’s belt pierced the quiet of the street. The two Scavengers who’d wandered past, stopped, sensing an opportunity. Elijah took the phone off his hip and passed it to Andrei. ‘It’s for you. Byrdich passed this number on to a man who wants to talk to you,’ he said, taking a step closer to the two men, his hand going to his sidearm. The Scavengers edged back against the glassless window frame, turning to jump inside the bar. The taller one of the two held his hands up, walking backwards before they turned and disappeared out a side window on the other street.

  ‘Who is it?’ Andrei said.

  ‘Just take it. I have my orders.’

  ‘Yes?’ Andrei said, answering the call.

  ‘What the bloody hell are you doing over there?’

  ‘Rolin? How are you?’

  ‘What are you playing at? Do you know how much you cost us by stealing that plane? Those men were supposed to be carrying valuable cargo to New York. It’s a monumental waste of money because we have to send it again.’

  ‘That’s your problem, Marc. Not mine. I am with Byrdich’s bounty hunter. We’re on Gibbs’s trail.’

  ‘I didn’t authorise this. Nobody did.’

  ‘Screw your authorisation. I’m the only man who’ll get you people close to Gibbs. And get him alive, which is what you want, is it not?’

  ‘Of course. Then we can put you both on trial. You’ve interfered for the last time. We’ve tolerated this because you saved the bloody planet. Everyone in the NEG now wants you to stand trial for this.’

  ‘Fuck off, chancellor.’

  Elijah snorted as he stood looking at Andrei. A smile broke on his face for a few seconds then was gone.

  Andrei could hear Marc fidgeting then background noise went quiet. ‘You will be tried for not bringing Butler in too. I don’t care about our arrangement.’

  ‘Oh, Marc, you couldn’t be more wrong. You will let me continue on this mission to bring Gibbs in, and then you will leave me alone. Or the whole world finds out what I have on you,’ Andrei said and pressed the disconnect button. ’If he calls back, let it ring.’

  ‘What do you have on the Chancellor of the NEG?’ Elijah said.

  ‘How much are you being paid to bring Gibbs in?’

  ‘Touché.’

  Andrei smiled and reached into his coat for the pack of cigarettes. ‘I am curious to find out how you’ve got so close to Gibbs already.’

  ‘You mean before you came along?’

  Andrei nodded, lighting the smoke. He exhaled and rolled the cigarette in his teeth. ‘It’s a bloody big country, and you’ve already said that you were working the California and Mexico region before this.’

  ‘I’ve built up a network of spies and informers in gangs across the country. They work well for me because they trust me, and I come through for them in other ways. When I was in the NAG army, I had a knack of getting to the top man and making deals with him. You know, in return for favours owed.’

  ‘Now that you need them, you can call in the favours?’

  ‘Something like that. The warlords are tougher to work over, but equally are more ambitious than the average Scavenger. They know that I have a direct line to the top so either cooperate quickly or do the exact opposite.’

  ‘I guess the last warlord was the latter. He was lying about Gibbs and the number of men he had.’

  ‘Yes, that’s why I know that there cannot be more than a few of them left.’

  Andrei frowned. ‘It could be the opposite.’

  Elijah folded his arms. He spread his legs for a better stance. ‘Now you and I know, from our respective sources, that there are only four or five left. What happens to the rest will be determined pretty soon.’

  Andrei laughed. ‘Yes, that is true. Because of the change in the situation with Gibbs, it will be tougher to take him alive.’

  ‘That’s no tragedy for me even though I do respect the man, the more I chase him. He’s a good warrior type. Loyal, trustworthy, and cares a great deal about those close to him, like all these stragglers he keeps taking in.’

  ‘Yes, and the fact tha
t one is his own…’ Andrei said, then looked back down the street. ‘That one of those men is an old friend from back in the SAS.’ Andrei could feel Elijah’s eyes on the side of his face. ‘But you’re right about all the other stuff. He’s a good man.’

  ‘Why have you come all this way? You keep to yourself and scribble notes into the two books you keep hidden in your jacket. Is it a diary?’

  ‘That is correct, my American friend. A diary.’

  ‘So why are you here chasing your old friend with me?’

  Andrei flicked the remaining cigarette into the empty bar. ‘We have been friends for many years, and I would like to see him one last time. You know his record. He saved everyone on this planet.’

  ‘You don’t answer questions directly, do you?’ Elijah said. ‘But I’m glad you are here. You’re more fun than Alonso’s ever been.’

  ‘That’s not difficult,’ Andrei said, stepping away from the bonnet of the van. ‘I have one last card to play that could help Gibbs. I have cancer of the lungs.’

  ‘Tough break, but surely those cigarettes are not helping.’

  ‘Way too late for abstinence. No, I just have a feeling that he will come quietly if I can talk to him. He will do what is right. That is how it is with him. In the end, he will do what is right for his family and friends.’

  Chapter 36

  Gatlinburg Inn, Gatlinburg Tennessee, USA – 2043

  A third slinking figure slipped down a side street disappearing into the mist. Across to Gibbs’s left was the mountain that he was sure had an angry Smithy sitting peering into the town with the scope. The sun would rise behind him as he stepped off the pavement and walked to the faded central white line of the main street. A whisper in the mist somewhere ahead of him meant Rebus had got his text. It was a change of plan, but being that he sent it fifteen minutes before, a welcome reception was no doubt already being assembled.

  The wooden roof of the Gatlinburg Inn was just being warmed by the sun as it started to burn off the night’s mist. More whispers, this time from the right side of the road. A figure retreated from the open front window of the supermarket. A head dropped below the hood of a brown rusty Chevy carcass. Gibbs raised his hands above his head and kept walking. He would be a silhouette to everyone unless they were up close. He hoped they would be.