by A. D. Winch
“I think we may be on to something,” Alexander told her happily, without thinking to offer Andrea a towel. “These samples seem to have reacted to the sunlight. Blood stored like this,” he motioned towards the blood bags and the fridge, “has a shelf life of approximately twenty-one days because the red blood cell’s oxygen carrying ability declines during storage. This blood is already sixteen days old but…, well…, take a look.”
He beckoned Andrea over towards the microscope. She put the parcel down and walked over, leaving a line of small puddles on the floor as she did so.
After looking at the sample for a few seconds, she faced Alexander. “This is not logical. You have made a mistake. That blood cannot be more than a day old.”
“Exactly,” said Alexander, a large grin growing across his face. “All we need to do now…”
Andrea put her hand over his mouth.
“Quiet!”
Neither of them made a noise. In the background, they could just hear a faint beeping.
“What’s that?” asked Alexander.
“That is a problem,” replied Andrea approaching her smart phone and picking it up. “Eric and Ursula are not where they have been told to stay. The GPS chips I inserted into the soles of their trainers have worked well. We will have to change our location.”
She put the smart phone down. From below her chair, she took out large bin bags and handed one to Alexander.
“Put everything in the bin bags,” she commanded. “We cannot leave anything here. On our way out, we will burn everything in the incinerator downstairs.”
Alexander set to work immediately. This interruption was inconvenient, but it was a minor delay which they had planned for. He was excited that he was onto something even if he would have to continue it elsewhere. Quickly and indiscriminately, he threw all his work into the bin bags.
It was after eleven p.m. when Eric and Ursula entered the living room. Mémé was still awake, but Granddad Benjamin had already gone to bed. She was sitting on the sofa wearing a hairnet and her orange dressing gown. Before she had a chance to scold them, Eric started talking.
“Oh Mémé, we’re really, really sorry. You must have been so terribly worried about us.”
Just as she was about to speak, Eric continued.
“And as we sat up there,” he pointed up to the ceiling and the roof beyond, “we were worried about you, worrying about us. Unfortunately, there was nothing we could do. The storm was so strong we couldn’t risk jumping down to the balcony, and the fire escape was jammed shut. Just one mistake and we would have fallen all the way to the ground, and we couldn’t do that to you. Please forgive us but we were actually being sensible and safe.”
Ursula couldn’t believe Eric’s bare-faced cheek. The lies dripped off his tongue like honey. She was also a little impressed, though she would hate to admit it.
Mémé looked at him, unsure whether to be suspicious or grateful.
“Get those wet things off and get into bed,” she said finally, “and I’ll bring you both a warm glass of milk.”
The children ran out of the living room and towards the bedroom as quickly as they dared. As they entered the hallway, the front door of the apartment opened, and Andrea entered.
“Get your things. It is time to go. Alexander is waiting in the car. We have no time to lose,” she said calmly.
The children didn’t move.
“You heard Andrea,” said Mémé from behind them. “You can drink your hot milk while you’re packing your bags.” Her voice was shaking.
The two children ran into Ursula’s bedroom without uttering a word.
“Merci, Madame Benjamin,” thanked Andrea.
“I should be thanking you,” replied Mémé, “for keeping them safe. You did say this would happen at some point. I am surprised it didn’t happen sooner to be honest. If you’ll excuse me for a second, I’ll go and wake Jerome so he can say goodbye to Ursula and Eric too.”
She was sobbing silently before she reached the bedroom door.
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***
Chapter 8 – Fleeing Paris
The goodbyes were tearful but brief. Andrea hurried everyone along and, within ten minutes of her arrival Eric and Ursula were out of the front door.
Outside the apartment was a bare, concrete passage. It looked out onto Ursula’s block and the flickering lights from hundreds of windows. In the distance, they could see lightning turning the black sky white, and they could hear the low rumble of thunder.
Andrea looked out and scanned the surrounding area. When Eric and Ursula stepped forward to do the same, they were forcefully pushed back towards the Benjamin’s apartment.
“You have already made one error this evening. You have probably been seen because of it. I do not want you to make another mistake,” explained Andrea. “It is time to go.”
Eric stood his ground defiantly. He did not like being told he had done something wrong. Nor did he appreciate being told what to do by his nanny without any explanation. Even if he did suspect their visit to the Stade de France may be the cause.
“You have a choice, Eric. Option one is that you move. Option two is that I carry you. There are no other options,” Andrea told him.
Ursula was already on her way, but she stopped and willed Eric to leave.
“Firstly, I’ve done nothing wrong and secondly I don’t like being told what to do without any explanation,” Eric replied sulkily.
“The answers to both your points are identical. You know the reason already. I do not understand why you are asking me these questions. If you require further explanation then, it is that I am your guardian. It is my job to guard you. If this involves actions with which you do not agree, then so be it. I shall undertake them anyway as this is my role. Either you follow my instructions or I shall carry you. This is non-negotiable.”
Andrea finished talking and moved towards Eric as if to pick him up.
“Okay,” whispered Eric through gritted teeth and pushed past the two of them, towards the staircase.
Andrea made the children wait while she checked that the staircase was clear. As they descended she stopped them at every turn. When she told them to crouch down or wait, they did so immediately. Eric was still fuming inside, but he knew the drill; the escape scenarios had been drummed into him enough times. Ursula was feeling a rapidly increasing sense of guilt and shame over the evening’s excursion. This was coupled with a feeling of sadness at leaving her grandparents once again due to something that she had done.
They reached the entrance of the apartment block, and Andrea ordered them to wait.
Eric and Ursula stood in the shadows beside a puddle. They could hear a constant dripping near them and could smell the mildew on the concrete walls. The entrance light flickered, clicking as it did so.
“We should never have gone,” Ursula said quietly.
“It’s a coincidence,” replied Eric angrily. “How could they know?”
“I don’t know how, but they do.”
“Rubbish! If they knew, why has no one mentioned it yet? Why hasn’t Andrea said where we went? I’ll tell you. They don’t know, and they don’t keep tabs on us. It’s a coincidence, nothing more!”
Eric kicked the wall and bits of damp plaster fell onto the floor along with a lump of brick.
“There’s no need to do that. This is my building, remember?”
“It’s only a bit of wall,” Eric said indignantly, lifting his leg ready to do it again.
“Just because you’re rich doesn’t mean you can damage other people’s things.”
“I didn’t know it was going to fall off. If it hadn’t been so badly built in the first place then maybe…”
Andrea pushed open the front door, and it looked as if it would fall off its hinges.
“It is time to go,” she whispered. “Keep your head down and follow me. Eric you will go first.”
Eric kicked the wall again on purpose, glared at Ursula and walk
ed off towards Andrea without saying anything. Ursula watched as the door closed with a clang behind them. It didn’t shut properly. As far as she could remember it never had.
She waited in the darkness watching the light flicker and listening to the storm in the distance. It was rare for her to feel nervous in her own building but right now she did. She thought about returning to her grandparents but decided not to. They had seemed as anxious as Andrea to get the two of them out of the building.
Even so, no one had told them why they were going, why they had to leave immediately or where they were going to. Maybe Eric was right, and it was just a coincidence that Andrea and Alexander had arrived right after they had returned from the Stade de France. If he were right, this put her more on edge.
The way Andrea had led them out was hardly typical. Checking around corners, waiting, ducking down and keeping away from the outside of the building were all part of the escape drill they had been taught in case of an emergency. On top of this, she was worried by how Andrea had deliberately separated them before leaving the block.
Ursula began to worry that she would be left alone. As she asked herself what she would do if this ever happened, Andrea returned.
“It is time to go. Keep your head down and follow me.”
Outside it was drizzling, and Ursula could smell the fresh aroma of a recent storm that had passed overhead. She had no time to appreciate it as Andrea moved fast towards the road. Parked vehicles filled both sides and in between them, blocking the empty street, was a family-sized car. It had stopped away from the orange street lights, and Ursula could not make out the colour. The engine was running, but the lights, both inside and outside the car, were turned off.
Andrea arrived at the car, opened the back door and ushered Ursula quickly inside, before getting in herself.
“Good evening,” greeted Alexander, flashing her a false smile from beneath his baseball cap, “put your seat belt on, please.”
The moment Ursula had placed the clip into the buckle, Alexander released the handbrake and drove off.
“Are you going to tell us where we are going now?” asked Eric grumpily.
“You know the drill,” answered Alexander, without taking his eyes off the road. “We don’t tell you. It’s safer for everyone. All you need to know is that we are going to see a friend.”
From the glove compartment, Andrea removed a small, radio-like device. She turned it on and tuned it into the channel used by French police.
After a few minutes of uninteresting talk they heard, “Attention all patrols. The missing children wanted by Interpol have been seen in Paris. Please apprehend if seen but approach with extreme caution. Their descriptions are…”
Andrea turned it off. She had heard enough.
Apart from refilling his glass twice with bourbon, Professor Schwarzkopf had not moved from his chair. His head was bowed, and he looked utterly defeated. When Agent Angel re-entered the room he didn’t look up, even when spoken to.
“John, you stayed. I’m delighted. I knew you wouldn’t be able to decline one more little job for me. Once you had the right kind of motivation that is.” Agent Angel sat down. He poured both himself, and Professor Schwarzkopf another bourbon each.
“Many years ago we started work on Identical Hybrid Beings, or IHBs as we called them. But for various reasons, mostly the terrorist attack on your lab, we stopped. Once we have those kids, I’d like to start it again, and I want you involved. I was only going to ask Kurtz, but I don’t think she quite has your skills or experience.”
Agent Angel paused and took a sip of his drink.
“Until then I would like you to help out Kurtz and her clowns with those escape pods. There must be more to these pods than we’ve discovered so far. Let’s be straight here, Kurtz needs you. She can’t even open them without you. Plus the damn things should fly but once again Kurtz seems devoid of ideas. I’m losing my patience and having worked with the best - that’s you, by the way - no one else compares. See what you can do, and see if you can’t teach them a thing or two about Science.”
“I could be teaching them about Science for a long time,” Professor Schwarzkopf whispered into his glass. “You have to find those children first if you want to resume work on the IHBs. If what you say is true and those children are not only human, then whoever created them has done the job for you already.”
“We’ve already found them. They’re in Paris. Team Jupiter are on their way from here. What’s left of Team Omega will join them in Paris from Prague for one last mission. The French authorities have already been notified. So, don’t worry, we’ll have them pretty damn soon.”
Professor Schwarzkopf tried to hide his disappointment.
The time was approaching midnight and the roads through Paris, though not busy, were far from empty either. Alexander drove like a saint. He stopped the car at every red light, obeyed the speed limits and did nothing to draw attention to them. Inside, no one spoke. Eric and Ursula looked out of their windows at the passing street lights and sleeping capital. They concentrated on their own thoughts for a change rather than each other’s.
Eric was preoccupied in wondering where they were going. He was still angry at Andrea but excited to be finally moving on to somewhere new. Somewhere that he hoped would be more in line with his standard of living. Ursula was focussed on what they had left behind. She had constantly wanted to talk to her grandparents about the past but had been unable to find the courage to do so.
They were both distracted from their thoughts by Alexander swearing. Ursula looked at him and saw that he was more intent in looking at the rear view mirror than at the road in front. Ursula looked out of the back window and saw a police car.
“Lay down,” Andrea told them.
The two children did as they were told.
“What do you think we should do?” asked Alexander, a slight tension creeping into his voice.
“Nothing,” replied Andrea calmly. “They are probably just driving back to the police station.”
Alexander took a deep breath and agreed.
“You’re right,” he said and continued to drive normally.
Suddenly a flashing blue light filled the interior of the car and a siren wailed.
“Or maybe you’re wrong,” added Alexander, pressing his foot harder on the accelerator and speeding up.
“Slow down,” commanded Andrea. “We cannot outrun them in this car and on these roads.”
She threw a blanket at Eric and Ursula.
“Put this over yourselves. Cover your faces and when I say ‘sleep,' pretend to be asleep.”
The children did as they were told, and the car slowed down to a stop.
“I’ll play it cool but if I suspect anything I’m getting us out of here,” stated Alexander.
“Agreed,” said Andrea, and then added, “sleep.”
What’s the worst thing that could happen now? thought Ursula.
One of us farts, thought Eric.
Ursula had to put her hand in her mouth to stop herself from laughing. However, as soon as she heard the window go down the laughter stopped.
A tall policeman bent down to look into the car. His face was stern, and his eyes looked tired.
“Bonsoir,” he greeted in a loud and unwelcoming voice. “Papers, please.”
Alexander smiled and joyfully replied, “Bonsoir.”
He leant across Andrea and took his passport, driving licence and car papers from the glove compartment. He offered them to the policeman who snatched them out of his hand.
“Merci. Now turn off your engine, please.”
Alexander did as he was told with a flourish.
The policeman walked back to his police car and got in. Beads of sweat appeared on Alexander’s forehead; he wiped them away. His eyes remained fixed on the rear-view mirror and the police car behind. Without realising, he started to bite his nails again.
After what felt like forever, both doors of the police car opened and two p
olicemen walked back towards Alexander’s car. The tall policeman with the papers approached Alexander’s open window, while the other, shorter one, walked around to the front of the bonnet. He placed his stubby hands on his hips and the fingers of his right hand rested on the gun in its holster.
“Get out of the car, please, Doctor Johansen,” said the tall policeman.
Alexander removed his finger from his mouth. He opened the door confidently and stepped into the drizzle.
“Follow me, we need to have a little chat about two things” ordered the tall policeman and walked to the front of the vehicle with his colleague. “Stand here and take a look,” he added.
Alexander did as he was told and looked straight at the car. He could see Andrea staring blankly at him but noticed her body slowly twisting towards the steering wheel. He acted calm but inside he was desperate to run.
“You’re not French, are you?” asked the shorter policeman.
“Er, no, malheuresement,” he joked.
Neither policeman laughed.
“Let me ask you a question, Doctor Johansen,” continued the shorter policeman. “These two things I want to talk about are in front of you now. What are they?” and he pointed at the headlights.
“They’re lights.”
“Correct. Now let me ask you another question. What are they for?”
Alexander felt this may be a trick question, “For throwing a bit of light onto a street flamenco party?”
The policeman did not even smirk, and Alexander backtracked as fast as he could.
“For seeing where you are going in the dark.”
“This is the correct answer. You are doing well. I can understand how you became a Doctor. I have a final question. If you know they are lights, and you know that they are for seeing in the dark, why were you not using yours?”
Relief washed over Alexander, and he replied quickly, “Because I forgot to put them on. I really am very sorry.”
“In France, we don’t forget,” joined the tall policeman and thrust Alexander’s papers back at him.
