Survival Instinct (The Adventures of Eric and Ursula Book 2)

by A. D. Winch

  Alexander gently woke Ursula and carried her to the car as she was still half-asleep. He was desperate to get off the plane and swayed as he walked with her. Eric followed but not before seeing Captain Hudson again.

  “Was that the only time you met my father?” asked Eric.

  “Oh no, for the next seven years we met regularly. It was only when he decided to quit the public world of poker that I stopped meeting him. Most people think he quit over an argument he had with the organizers of some big poker competition, but I didn’t think that then, and I still don’t think that now.”

  Outside the aircraft, Andrea beeped the car horn.

  “I had better go,” said Eric. “Thanks for telling me these things.”

  “You’re welcome,” replied Captain Hudson. “I am sure this is au revoir rather than goodbye. In the words of Dame Vera Lynn, ‘We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when, but I know we’ll meet again one sunny day.’”

  Eric smiled and left Captain Hudson while he was still singing.

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  ***

  Chapter 10 - Shut Out

  It was still night when Andrea parked the Range Rover near the Meyer Villa. The road was full of parked cars, but most people were still asleep and the streets were empty. The only sign of life was a cat stalking something on the walls surrounding the villa. Eric looked at the cat and then beyond to his Prague home. He felt happy again. After being cooped up for three months, in an apartment barely bigger than one of his bedrooms, he was looking forward to some more space.

  “Home,” he whispered.

  “It will still be a prison,” said Ursula sleepily. “We won’t be allowed out.”

  “I am afraid so,” said Alexander. “We can’t risk the two of you being caught by the OSS.”

  “Why?” asked Eric.

  “Why, what?” replied Alexander.

  “Why can’t we risk Ursula and me being caught by the OSS?”

  “I don’t want to get caught,” yawned Ursula. “They didn’t seem very friendly when they were chasing us near Pompeii.”

  “But why?” repeated Eric. “Why do they want us?”

  Andrea joined the conversation, “I infer that their interest in you is twofold. One – they know where you come from. They are, therefore, threatened by the unknown. The two of you are unique. Two – they wish to use you in some way for their own gain. However, to continue this discussion right now is meaningless. Our aim now is to enter into the villa, but this will have its complications.”

  Eric paid no attention to Andrea. It was the first time that he had arrived home from a building that his parents did not also own or was not a five star hotel. He had never appreciated the villa as much as he did right now. He admired the cream walls, the many large windows and the grey tiled roof. He had forgotten, or possibly not even noticed before, the decorative patterns under the eaves and the spacious balconies.

  Andrea opened the door and stepped out of the Range Rover.

  “I need to ensure that it is safe and free from monitoring devices,” she announced. “Stay here until I return.”

  “Why can’t I come too?” asked Eric angrily.

  “Because you are not as cool as me,” stated Andrea and turned to Alexander before Eric had a chance to reply.

  If Ursula had not been so sleepy, she would have laughed.

  “Alexander, please sit in my seat. Leave the engine running while I am gone. This may take some time, but I need you to be ready.”

  Alexander did as he was asked, and Andrea walked to the rear of the car. From the boot, she removed a football-sized bag and a pair of heavy looking binoculars, which she hung around her neck.

  The night was quiet. Most of the surrounding buildings were dark, but there were a few lights on. The vast majority of residents were tucked up in bed. Andrea walked normally and only stopped as she neared the gravel driveway that led up to the villa. Despite the lack of traffic, she crossed the road carefully and waited in the shadows beside a high wall at the driveway entrance. Slowly she scanned the area making sure that she was still alone. She was. In the distance, she could hear a train below the villa, but there was no other noise.

  Andrea lifted the binoculars to her eyes, and this time scanned the area amongst the trees and the villa. The darkness of night turned to a light green as she peered through the binoculars and black silhouetted trees now appeared with bark, branches and leaves. After sweeping the area once, she flipped a switch on the binoculars from night mode to heat mode. The green night changed. This time trees appeared dark orange while, around them, there was only black. As she approached the end of the scan, two red bodies appeared laying against a tree. From the way their heads appeared to be glued together, Andrea knew that they were nothing to worry about.

  The binoculars fell to her chest, and she removed an object from the bag she was carrying. It looked like a football cut in half. The flat side had a grid display and on the curved side it was covered in tiny, circular holes. Andrea pressed a button and the grid display dimly lit up. Once again she scanned the area in front of her but this new device detected something immediately. A yellow dot flashed on the grid and below it appeared ‘device is 6.5 metres from current position, 2.06 metres above ground level.’ The GPS coordinates were listed below this information. By the time she had finished one sweep of the area, six more similar devices had been detected. They had been laid out in front of the villa in an arc each at thirty degree intervals.

  Andrea decided to investigate the device directly in front of the villa first. From the way they were arranged, she made a calculated decision that she would not be detected in doing this. It was closest to her and, more importantly, behind all the others.

  The device turned out to be a small black box. It was attached to a lamp post at head height; next to the gravel driveway. On its front was written ‘Property of Czech Electricity Company’ and it looked as if it had been there for a long time. Andrea looked closely at the box and peered through a small hole in its casing. Inside she could see the villa reflected in convex glass. Four screws held the box together and, after removing a screwdriver from the bag, she quickly took it apart. The curved glass was as she had suspected, a lens. This was connected to a circuit board which in turn was attached to the workings of a mobile phone and a lithium battery.

  Andrea put the box back together. She had seen enough and decided there was no need to check the other boxes as it was improbable that they would be any different. The area was being monitored, heavily monitored. Entry to the villa was virtually impossible without detection. She considered the possible options they now had, chose the one with the most chance of success and then returned to the car.

  “Oh, welcome back,” greeted Eric sarcastically and slumped back in his chair with his arms crossed.

  “What did you find?” Alexander asked as Andrea sat down.

  “Unless the OSS agents are in the villa, it is improbable that they are still here.”

  “Great, let’s go then!” said Eric leaning forward; forgetting that he was supposed to be sulking.

  “No. Unfortunately, the villa is under surveillance. There are seven cameras facing the villa at equidistant points – some are video cameras, and the others are heat cameras. It would be impossible to enter the villa without detection. Even if we could, it is also a logical assumption that there are sensors monitoring inside the villa too. At least in all rooms the OSS know of. It is unlikely that they know about the cellar. It is not on the original plans of the building, and I sealed it before we left.”

  Alexander put the car into first gear and lifted the hand brake.

  “Let’s not hang around then. I guess it’s time to move on?” he said.

  “No. Your guess is wrong,” Andrea answered. “We are not going to leave. We will be safe here. Additionally there are items in the cellar that we need. We can continue our research inside and the children can rest.”

  Eric looked at Ursula, wh
o had fallen back to sleep, “I don’t think Ursula cares.”

  “So, how will we get in?” asked Alexander. “We’re not going to walk up to the front door and ring the bell.”

  He put the car back into neutral.

  “The villa has more than one entrance.”

  “If you’re thinking about going round the back I would think again,” suggested Alexander. “If they have surveillance around the front then they will definitely have some around the back as well.”

  Andrea scrunched up her face and looked almost quizzical.

  “Why would I think that?” she asked.

  “Because that’s the other entrance. Where Eric and I got in last winter.”

  “Only one of them,” replied Andrea intriguingly and got back out. “Wake Ursula. We need to go now while the vast majority of people are in their homes.”

  The night was black but on the east horizon the sun was already starting to rise and turning the sky dark blue. Silently they emptied the car, strapped their rucksacks to their backs and followed Andrea. She led them through the empty park next to the villa and onto another deserted road which led to a footpath. On one side were majestic, old buildings and on the other was a steep slope leading down to the railway tracks twenty metres below. Just ahead of them the footpath rose higher and passed over the entrance to four train tunnels.

  Andrea stopped them as a long freight train entered the tunnel furthest away. The noise was almost deafening as wagon after wagon rattled past. When the last truck had vanished, and the tracks were clear, Andrea sprang over the fence and walked quickly down the slope. The others, given no other option, followed and joined her beside the railway lines. Rubbish littered the area. There were tyres, broken bottles, corrugated iron plates, bent bicycles and prams with no wheels. Nature, however, was fighting back; bushes and trees had either grown over or around the litter.

  “Listen carefully,” Andrea began, placing her foot on a large paint tin. “We are going to enter this tunnel.”

  “But that’s one of the tunnels to the main station, isn’t it?” interrupted Ursula, suddenly very awake.

  “Yes, this is obvious,” answered Andrea. “However, approximately five minutes down the tunnel is another entrance to the cellar of the villa. It is an entrance that only a few know about. Luckily there are no passenger trains currently running but…”

  Andrea stopped and looked down at the track nearest to them; it had started to vibrate. Far away they could hear the distant rumblings of a train.

  “Can I suggest that we move away from the track?” suggested Alexander, pulling Eric and Ursula back into a cluster of prickly bushes.

  Andrea joined them at a more sedate pace and instructed them all to crouch down. A minute later another freight train rumbled past, barely two metres from them. The sound was unbearably loud; the wagons scarily large and the force of the train pulled them towards the tracks. Ursula counted the wagons entering the tunnel. The last wagon was number fifty-nine, and Ursula watched as it too disappeared from sight.

  Andrea stood up, “As I was saying, there are no passenger trains currently running. However, there are a number of freight trains using the tunnels. This is where we have to go. Please follow me,” and she walked off towards a tunnel.

  “You’re putting the children’s lives at risks, Andrea,” argued Alexander, standing his ground and gently holding Ursula’s arm.

  “Doesn’t bother me,” said Eric, clearly excited and jumping onto the track. “Finally we’re doing something interesting after weeks in jail. Admittedly it’s a strange way for my guardian to behave but I say we go.”

  Andrea turned to him, “It is not strange, Eric. I have to look after you and to do that we must enter the villa. There is no other option. Therefore, it is the right decision rather than a strange one. I suggest we go. The tunnel will be dark. You are all carrying rucksacks, and each rucksack has straps. Please hold onto the strap of the person in front of you. This will reduce the chance of accidents. If another train enters before we reach the villa entrance stand to the side of the tunnel. Hold onto anything you can or try to get into one of the alcoves. The train will not touch you. There is a large enough space between the rails and the tunnel walls.”

  Once again Andrea didn’t wait for any response. She stepped between the rails and walked hastily over the sleepers into the pitch black tunnel. Eric grabbed hold of a strap on her bag, Ursula followed and Alexander brought up the rear.

  “Do you have a torch?” shouted Alexander as it grew darker.

  “No,” replied Andrea. “I am using the night vision binoculars.”

  Andrea could see the curved sides of the tunnel, a few alcoves, many cables running along the walls and the tracks stretching out in front of them.

  Within a few metres, the others could see nothing in front of them, not even their own hands. Andrea kept the binoculars to her eyes while the others held tight to the straps. Their other senses began to work more, and they became more aware of the strong smells in the tunnel, especially smoke and diesel. They also began to hear the tiniest noises. Drips from the tunnel roof high above them sounded so much louder. While, below them, the scratching and squeaking around their feet was unnerving.

  “What are those noises?” asked Ursula, hoping her suspicions would be wrong.

  Andrea kept walking but, after looking towards the walls of the tunnels, she replied, “Rats.”

  She watched as a long line of them started to dive into crevices on the brick wall and climb over each other in the alcoves.

  She thought nothing of it. Up ahead she could see the door she needed. It looked like the other doors they had already walked past – strong, solid and made of metal. The only difference was that this one had POZOR/DANGER written in large letters across it and was kept shut with a large padlock.

  Andrea placed her shoe on the track in order to cross towards it and felt tiny vibrations under her foot.

  “Against the wall now,” she shouted and pulled them all towards the tunnel wall.

  They all did as she commanded, but as Eric moved he placed his foot on a patch of oil and slipped. His feet rose into the air, and the rucksack pulled him backwards. He crashed down between the rails, and his cheek came to rest on the track. The vibrations were becoming stronger and stronger, making his teeth chatter.

  Get up, willed Ursula.

  “I’m not going to stay here, thought Eric. He was embarrassed and angry that he had fallen.

  They could all hear the tracks moving now and the sound of a train hooting outside the tunnel.

  Eric tried to move but although his arms and legs were free, he couldn’t get up. The noise of the train grew louder and louder. Eric tried to move again, but the same thing happened. He just couldn’t get his torso off the ground or his head away from the rail. The clattering of wagons and the drone of a fast approaching, diesel engine echoed all around him. Eric realised that his rucksack had trapped him. A strap or the bag itself was obviously stuck under a rail somewhere; he just had to find where. He tried with his eyes, but the pitch black made it impossible, so he tried with his hands but couldn’t get them far enough behind his back. The track against his cheek was shaking, and so were his hands. He tried to unfasten the clips holding the rucksack to his back, but he couldn’t get a grip. He heard the others shouting at him but couldn’t make out what they were saying above the din.

  Get up, thought Ursula.

  I can’t, thought Eric as the train headlights lit up the walls of the tunnel. The light did not help; Eric still could not see where he was stuck.

  “Eric!” screamed Ursula.

  He looked up towards the wall and saw their frightened faces. He turned and looked behind him. The oncoming train was growing larger and larger. It was almost upon him, and there was no way he could make it to the tunnel wall in time. With an almighty yank, he pulled his head and body away from the rail and abruptly lay down on the sleepers.

  “Eric!” shouted Alexander an
d Ursula.

  Their words were swallowed up as the train rolled over him, and the clattering wagons followed.

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  ***

  Chapter 11 – Black Queen and White King vanish

  The alarm clock beside Professor Schwarzkopf’s bunk buzzed, and the time flashed on the screen. It was nine in the morning. He had been told by Agent Angel to take a brief rest before starting work. Kurtz was going to put him straight onto the new ‘pods-rota’ she had devised, and he was expected to participate fully. However, his head ached and his throat was bone dry. For the first time in years, he was hung-over. Gingerly he got out of his bunk, switched the light on and took a glass of water. It was ice cold, and as it hit the back of his throat, he coughed violently.

  I’m too old for this, he thought sadly while staring at himself in the mirror. I should be retired, doing the gardening, having an afternoon sleep in my chair and completing the daily crossword in the newspaper. He looked at the few hairs he had left, his wrinkled face and bloodshot eyes in the mirror. He had hardly slept since he arrived, not that this was uncommon for him. Slowly he dropped his head, turned on the taps and splashed cold water onto his face.

  What is going to happen to those children, he worried as the water dripped off his chin.

  Team Jupiter began their search for Eric and Ursula the moment they got off their private plane. Six bi-lingual gendarmes met them at Charles de Gaulle airport. They accompanied each team member to one of six identical police cars. Each pair then drove away to different areas around the stadium in Saint-Denis.

  Each member of Team Jupiter had three photos with them. One photo was of Eric on the descent from Vesuvius, one of Ursula at Pompeii and one of the two of them sat together at the Stade de France.