Kharon

by Wayne Marinovich

  'Mad buggers the lot of them,' Shredder said. ‘Just to walk up to a group of soldiers, guns raised. Crazy.’

  'You’d fit in well with them then,' Smithy said.

  'Shut up, tree hugger.'

  'Let's get unloaded and make our way across into the main building behind us. Smithy, come with me and let's find a place to hunker down. We don't know how long we will have to wait. Shredder, organise everyone and start trying to contact the convoy,' Gibbs shouted.

  • • •

  The vast departures lounge with its high ceilings and exposed air-con ducts was now home to different species of bird. A large group of pigeons burst into flight from the ground as the men opened the departure door. Nesting crows squawked above them on the mezzanine level. Pushing some of the plastic seating aside, the men created space in front of the gate.

  'Do you think they're all okay, boss?' Shredder asked as he sat on the floor and leaned up against his Bergen. A few hours had passed since they had settled in at the departure gate.

  'Who?'

  'Christina, Stuart and the rest?' Shredder asked, picking at muck under his boot with a large knife.

  'Who knows for sure, mate? I have a feeling that they will be okay as long as Butler plots his revenge. I think he will try and use them as leverage first,' Gibbs said.

  'He will pay, I promise,' Shredders said, stabbing the rubber sole of his boot.

  'I know he will.'

  'Are you going to honour his holiness Rolin's wishes and take Butler back for trial or are we going to bury him here?'

  'What do you think?'

  Shredder smiled, his eyes sparkling.

  Smithy walked over, carrying a cardboard box. 'Look what I found. Chocolate bars.'

  'Never mind them, fatty,' Shredder said. 'Did you contact Warren?'

  'Yes I did, and that’s no chocolate for you then.'

  'So where are they?'

  'They’re trying to get through the main security gate so they can drive around to pick us up. So won't be long, now,' Smithy said and placed the box down on one of the airport chairs.

  He ripped open the wrapper and pulled a Hershey bar out. Pulling the wrapper off, he scowled. 'They are ruined. Look at all the white shit all over it.'

  'They're fine to eat,' Shredder said and walked over. 'Be a bloody man.'

  'After you then. Your insides died and crawled out of you a long time ago.'

  Shredder pulled another chocolate out and unwrapped it and took a large bite. 'You big girl's blouse. See, nothing wrong with them. Here are the others, guys, maybe they’ll have some.'

  Five green army trucks drove up and parked next to one another in front of the terminal. The five drivers in NAG uniforms jumped out and walked over to them, saluting simultaneously.

  'Okay, men, no need for that,' Gibbs said. 'Do you have a map of where these factories are?'

  'I do,' Warren said as he walked up behind them.

  Gibbs smiled at him, 'How are you coping, fella?'

  ‘Trying not to think about Kat,’ Warren said. ‘I have news about a possible site where Butler might be so I just want to get cracking.’

  ’Good man,’ Gibbs said. 'What news do you have?'

  'We made a sweep of the area where all the factories are. Most of them are pharmaceutical factories so one must be linked to Butler in some way. At one of the sites, we saw a few security guards are patrolling the perimeter. Minimal presence out front on the main road but there are ten men at the rear gate and loading bay.'

  ‘That is certainly something. It is either Butler’s factory or linked to another warlord,’ Gibbs said.

  'But Bob’s informant said the site was abandoned and only had some scavengers living there,’ Shredder said.

  Warren shook his head. 'Maybe he was mistaken, there are a lot of buildings on that road. Bob says these guys aren’t always reliable. I can tell you there are armed men there. The informant could have meant the headquarters.'

  'What headquarters?

  'Apparently one of Bob's contacts found their headquarters a mile down the road. It’s a large, glass building not too far from the factory. He says that they saw a man fitting Butler's description there two days ago.’

  ‘Why the bloody hell didn’t you start with that news?’ Gibbs asked. ‘Do you have the new address?’

  'It's in the satnav already.'

  'Let's go, men!' Gibbs shouted.

  • • •

  Gibbs sat next to a steely-eyed Smithy, who was behind the steering wheel. Both looked up the sides of the ten storeys black glass building. The ground floor was boarded up with wooden boards, and a few of the windows on the first floor had holes in them from scavengers throwing rocks at them.

  'Are we just going to walk up and go in?' Smithy asked.

  'We have trucks positioned all around the block, and there is absolutely no movement. This might be one of those missions where the direct route is best.'

  ‘Not much recon has gone into this. It is very risky.'

  ‘I know, but time is of the essence. We’ll have to improvise if things go bad,’ Gibbs said, knowing his keenness to get to Christina could get people killed.

  Gibbs jumped out, armed with his M27 and walked around the back of the truck. 'Shredder, bring five men. Let's go and knock on the door.'

  'Yes, sir,' he said, his eyes gleaming again.

  The small group walked across the street, guns raised and snuck up to the side of the glass double doors. Gibbs peeked around the granite pillar at the side of the doorway and had a view all the way past the four elevator doors through to the marble reception desk at the back. A guard was sleeping behind the counter, his head down on his chest as he slumped in his chair. Shredder crossed the paving and took a position on the other side of the doorway. He reached around the white plasterboards and tapped on the glass with the barrel of his M27. Nothing. The security guard continued sleeping. Gibbs knocked even louder with his M27. Still no movement.

  'Is he dead?' Shredder asked.

  Gibbs shrugged. 'He will be when you shatter the glass. Blast it open, Shredder.'

  A Cheshire cat-like grin appeared on the man starved of action. He walked out onto the middle of the paving and raised the M27. The barrel jumped as it spat bullets and shattered the glass of both doors that collapsed in on itself. Gibbs shielded his face from the flying shards with his arm and then looked up once Shredder was finished. He was smiling and then walked forward alongside Gibbs.

  'Man, I needed that!'

  Gibbs smiled. 'Well, it had the desired effect then. You are a happy bunny, and the guard has run off.'

  'He disappeared behind the counter.'

  They walked up to the counter and tapped on the top.

  'Come on out, mate, we are not here for you,' Gibbs said.

  A quivering old man appeared, his security cap pushed up, revealing blue eyes of shock.

  'There is nobody here, mister,' he said. 'They've all gone.'

  'Who's gone?' Gibbs asked.

  'The last of the big shot management types moved out of here yesterday.’

  ‘Lord Butler?’ Gibbs asked.’

  ‘Lord Butler's office was emptied last week. I can show you if you want.'

  'Where have they gone?'

  The old man shrugged his shoulders. 'They were pretty tight-lipped and it was all very hush-hush, but I heard one of the moving boys joking that they just had to move the boxes to a place just down the road.’

  Shredder leaned in towards the old man. 'You better not be sending us on a wild goose chase.'

  'Young man, my word is good enough. I will be sitting right here if you need to find me again.'

  Gibbs tapped Shredder on the shoulder, nodding his head towards the door. 'Let's head back to the trucks.'

  Shredder gave the old man a mock salute and followed Gibbs out to the trucks. Warren walked over to meet them followed by Smith.

  'I take it they’re not in there?' Warren said.

  'Nope. They’v
e cleared out here too.'

  'What the hell?'

  'Let's have a look at that pharmaceutical factory. Everyone get in the trucks and follow our lead.'

  The men all walked off except for Shredder and Warren, who were leaning against the front of the first truck with Gibbs.

  'Boss, you know, it seems that Butler is always just one bloody step ahead of us. I am aware that it might just be a coincidence, but I have a nagging feeling,' Shredder said.

  Warren nodded. 'I agree, Gibbs, we seem to be chasing our tails here. Someone must be tipping him off.'

  Gibbs looked at them. 'Tom Scott is dead, so our previous traitor is not tipping him off anymore. It might be his brother Tyson. He did have contacts in New York.'

  'But I thought that Andrei was the one who gave you the NAG contacts,' Shredder said.

  'He also got details from Tyson, I think. I'll call Andrei and get him to check out our friend Bob again,' Gibbs said.

  'I kind of like old Bob,' Shredder said. 'He doesn’t seem to be sticking it to us.'

  'Tom Scott was a great bloke too. Butler has a way of manipulating people,' Warren said.

  'Yes, but we have fifty men from the NAG involved here. It doesn’t have to be someone high up. It could also just be that Butler has his own network of scavenger informants,' Shredder said.

  'Could be,' Warren said. ‘Bob does seem just that little bit too obvious.'

  Chapter 28

  Albert Lea Ranch, Albert Lea, Minnesota, USA- 2033

  The fire crackled in the stone fireplace that had been built into one of the walls of the lounge. The thick grey stone that framed the fire were thick with aged black soot and the smoke spiralled up the chimney. Christina relaxed on one of the L-shaped leather couches, her feet tucked up under her as she flicked through an old magazine. Sitting across from her on the matching couch was Alex Brun, his oxygen trolley near to hand.

  'Thanks for trying to get hold of a dose of the vaccine for me,' he said.

  She looked up with a sympathetic smile. 'I am sorry that they don't have any left. Do you think they could be lying about that?'

  'I don't know. Everyone is scared of Francis, so they might be.'

  'I will ask him for you when he does eventually show up.'

  'I appreciate that,' he said and shifted to get comfortable. 'I have spoken briefly to one of the young men he has in tow, and Stuart is okay and very healthy.'

  'How is his finger doing?'

  Alex looked down at his hands in his lap. 'No infection has set in so it will heal. I’m so sorry for what the poor boy has had to endure.'

  Christina nodded and felt herself choking up. 'Do you have any idea when I will be able to see him again?'

  'I don't know any more details of Francis's plans so have no idea what his movements are or what his reasoning is for keeping your son. He said he'd be here sometime in the next two or three days.'

  'It's hard to believe how wrong I was about him. I cannot believe what he has become. From all the accounts I have heard about him on the way over here, everyone confirms the monster he has turned out to be. He was such a sweet, jovial man when he first took me in as a ward on behalf of my parents. Little did I know he had them captive and was planning to hold the world hostage,' Christina said.

  'Francis has always had different plans on the go at once and was always three steps ahead of everyone at the Phoenix Council. Even way back when it was still called the Billionaires Club, he was thinking about the virus. It's why I was so surprised that you got him so easily.'

  'We were all working on the inside and created Vargen as a diversion.'

  Alex chuckled a little into his mask. 'Ah yes, Vargen, the mysterious resistance leader. He never realised it was more than one person. It drove the Council mad that they couldn’t catch you.’

  'It kept his gaze on other areas and away from what we were doing,' Christina said, leaning forward on the couch. 'And to be fair, while we were always the resistance against the Phoenix Council, it was Gibbs who brought the fresh eyes to see what Francis was doing.'

  'Hence, why he hates you both so much.'

  'I guess so, but I still cannot fathom his rapid personality change. From a caring person to psychotic megalomaniac.'

  ‘I don’t think that anyone knew how broken his mind was.’

  'Hindsight is easy, I guess. Everyone assumed he had died in that basement dungeon.'

  'Never make that mistake again. If you or Gibbs get the chance to finish him off, take it,' Alex said and started coughing. He reached across and grabbed the oxygen mask and coughed for a few minutes, his face red and distorted.

  'Are the attacks getting more frequent, Alex?'

  He shook his head and wiped his mouth with a hanky. 'I still only have one or two fits a day, but they are getting worse.'

  • • •

  The knock on her door stirred her from her sleep. Christina sat up and looked around at the old clock radio she had borrowed from Nurse Miriam. 11:35pm.

  'Yes! Who is it?'

  'Please get up and get dressed, ma'am.'

  'Why?'

  'Just get up and get dressed, you need to come with us,' a voice said from outside her door.

  She switched on the side lamp and crossed to her clothes, taking her time to get ready.

  'Are you dressed yet, ma'am? You don't want to keep him waiting.'

  Her heart stopped, and she felt weak. Anger started to rise as she realised that she was holding her breath. A type of anger only a mother knows. She clenched her fists and felt the strength flowing through her. She yanked the door open and walked out.

  'Well then, where is the bastard?'

  They walked back in the direction of the lounge and turned left into the corridor that led to the main door. The study was on the left. Fear gripped her again as she walked through the doorway. The air was filled with a musky fragrance. His same old cologne.

  The dark wood desk was set back from the door and in front of the long red curtains. Two small antique desk lamps threw yellow light across the desk, and she looked at the thin man who sat reading some documents. With a now balding head and gaunt face, his sunken eyeballs made him look skeletal. He looked like he was drowning in the white shirt, black tie, and waistcoat. The two muscular guards moved to the side of his desk, and Lord Butler looked up, placing his reddened and scarred stump on the desk next to his functioning right hand. Grabbing the document, he placed it into one of the small drawers that were down to his left.

  'Hello, Francis,' Christina said.

  'Christina,' he replied and leant back in the chair.

  'How did things get to this point?' she said and took a step closer. 'Looking at you now, I feel really sad for how things turned out.'

  Lord Butler flicked a glance at both the brawny men on either side of him and then laughed.

  'Christina, I don't give a rat's arse about how sad you are. You are nothing to me anymore. Nothing but a pawn that I am enjoying pushing around.'

  Christina swallowed hard as she looked into his brown eyes.

  'The only reason you're alive is that I decree it. I want you to pay for your betrayal of the Phoenix Council and me. I want you to suffer slowly for joining up with Kirilenko as the heads of the resistance movement. Two people whom I took in and then dared to oppose me.

  'Fortunately, I was already working on the Kharon project with your parents, so built up an extensive list of contacts and investors, who came to my rescue. The irony is that you destroyed the Phoenix Council, only for me to rise from its ashes an even more powerful man.'

  'You kidnapped my parents and kept them from seeing me.'

  'They signed up to help me originally but then wanted to leave when it got challenging and a little risky. They needed the motivation to keep working on my cause, so I told them that you and Stuart were infected on the ship over here. They happily upped their pace and concluded their end of the bargain, signing a very lucrative deal with me in the end.'

  'They wo
uld never agree to any of this. It's just barbaric.'

  'True, but they had no choice. You and Stuart are alive because they agreed to help me.’

  Christina lowered her head. The glint of a letter opener on the left-hand side of the desk caught her eye.

  'Now, getting your husband to follow you here took more masterful planning. Woolf said he would have followed you anyway, but I felt it needed something else to guarantee it. You can thank Woolf for the fact that it was only Stuart's finger that was delivered to your thug of a husband. I wanted his whole arm removed,' Lord Butler said, and raised his stump in the air.

  The dam of emotion burst inside of her as she launched forward at Lord Butler, grabbing the letter opener from the desk and driving it towards his throat. He pushed back on his chair and flailed at her hand, deflecting it upwards. A low guttural sound came from her throat and brought her knee onto the desk to be able to lunge at him again. One of the bodyguards managed to grab her around the waist and dragged her towards the door, away from his boss. Twisting like a wet cat, she flipped the opener around in her hand and stabbed at the man's head behind hers. A loud scream nearly shattered her eardrum as he released his grip. She spun around to see the letter opener protruding from his cheek. The man pulled it out and dropped it to the floor.

  Christina dived for the opener but the bodyguard threw himself at her and smashed her to the floor with a heavy shoulder-charge. A loud moan was forced out of her as she crashed into a large wooden bookcase, the shelves jarring into her back. The other bodyguard, who had grabbed Lord Butler and guided him behind the chair, ran forward and swung a roundhouse right at her. Instinct saved her from getting flattened as she dipped her head to the left, the punch grazing her temple.

  She felt her vision blur and like an out-of-body experience, she watched herself scratch out at the attacking man's face. He managed to pin her throat back against the bookcase, her feet lifting from the wooden floor slightly. She couldn’t breathe and frantically clutched at his arms and head.

  'Don't hurt her too much, David,' Lord Butler shouted.

  More strong hands grabbed at her, and both men wrestled her to the floor, pushing a knee into the back of her neck. They wrenched her arms around behind her back and quickly had some thick cable ties zipped around her wrists. She groaned as one of the men yanked her up and thrust her into a leather chair to the side of the study.