Doctor Richard’s drawl and the Menace’s growl. Had they come for me? Oh… damn!
I couldn’t go out into the passage, I could do nothing there. So I would have to wait here. Force them to come in for me, out of the camera’s eye. And try to hold them up by myself, without the numerical support, however unarmed, of the other girls. Damn. I shouldn’t have come in here!
Backing to the end of the room, I clicked off the air gun’s safety and held it out of sight behind my back. Come on, then, all is not lost yet…
Seconds drew silently on into minutes and still the door didn’t open. What was taking so long? The duty guards knew I was in here.
Finally I heard the footsteps again and stiffened, my heart managing to beat even faster still. I gripped the gun so tightly my fingers ached. I had to pull this off, alone or not…
But the footprints were receding. I heard the clink-clatter of the passage’s barred gate being opened, then closed. Seized with sudden, terrible foreboding, I rushed the length of the room and eased the door open a crack. Peeped out, just in time to see the dismantlers’ white coats disappearing through the door at the opposite end of the passage. Behind them followed Brandon and Dwight, marching a tall figure with braids between them.
As they reached the door Jane looked back down the corridor. Her eyes met mine, full of appeal, but her pinched eyes and lips said all too clearly that she knew there was nothing I could do.
The door closed behind them with a very final click.
***+***
26
ESCAPE
I almost had to go back into the cubicle for another ten minutes: the blow was so terrible. Still eleven hours until zero hour! Far too long. Unless we started the plan early. But there was nothing in the plan about going to the Lab to rescue someone…
And the daytime plan was so much riskier. Less cover for the diversion-providers—and the inescapable need to put the camera room out of commission. Which involved going to the guard block, not the Lab block. How could we possibly go to both simultaneously? We didn’t have enough shooters—nor would we have enough guns. But to do both consecutively—we wouldn’t be at the towers in time…
Mind churning, I pressed the buzzer to get the guard to let me back into the dorm. I had to speak to Jon. Lord, what do I do? Risk the seventy sheep to save the one? Or save the seventy?
In the dorm, everyone was upset, though Jane had clearly made less of a scene than Polly. Some of the crocodile pairs were holding, others had broken up. Harriet flung herself on me, but I ruthlessly turned her over to Caroline, hurrying to Jon.
“Jon?” I demanded.
He grimaced.
“You want to know if I think you should start the escape now and try to save Jane.”
“Yes.”
“I…” He bit his lip. “I’m really not sure we can, you know. You must see that? We haven’t got the manpower—girl power—to pull off anything extra. Especially not if we have to deal with the camera room as well. The plan we’ve got has a really good chance of working. But only if we don’t mess around with it…”
“But if they’d come to take me, we’d be starting now!” I exclaimed, agonized. “Just because it’s Jane, we’re going to play safe?”
“This isn’t about playing safe!” snapped Jon, for once losing his temper. “If they come for you, we just start the same plan early. This calls for a complete departure from the plan! A complete departure that may get seventy people killed! Do the math, Margo!”
“I can’t do math!” I hissed. “That’s why they put me in here!”
Jon’s lips tightened, but before he could reply there came a chattering roar from outside that brought us both to our feet.
“What the…?”
“Helicopter!” I gasped.
There was a general stampede towards the window.
“I think it’s going to land here!” cried Caroline, peering out.
My blood turned to ice in my veins.
“What are the markings?” I choked out, my voice rising sharply. The EuroArmy were the largest owner of helicopters but… “Whose is it?”
“I don’t know,” said Caroline. “Euro-something. Hey, let Margo see it…”
I waded to the front just in time to see the machine bank and disappear over the top of our block. The circle of little blue stars with a huge yellow star in the center was clearly visible—as was the crest surrounding it. I spun around with a choked gasp, gripped with an almost irresistible impulse to run, though there was nowhere to run to. Jon was behind me. His hands found my shoulders and ran down my arms to close around my wrists.
“Breathe, Margo. Whose helicopter is it?”
“EuroGov. EuroGov.” I was shaking like a leaf.
He folded me to him, rubbing my back with slow, deliberate movements of his hand.
“Breathe, Margo. We know why they’re here; it’s not a surprise, is it.”
“Huh?” Rebecca looked baffled.
“And we’ve got a plan, remember? A very good plan. So let’s get ready, shall we?”
I took hold of myself and eased away from him. Don’t panic in front of the troops, Margo. Best if they trust you know what you’re doing. The chattering of the helicopter was getting louder and suddenly the whole dorm was vibrating, shaking, people looking around in panic...
“No need to worry, it’s just the helicopter landing on our roof.” Somehow I managed to speak—shout—lightly. “Looks like the helipad is on our block. That was an amazing machine, wasn’t it?”
“I saw it really close up!”
“I saw right underneath it!”
“I could see the little people sitting in it,” yelled Harriet.
“Loud,” shouted Sarah, shaking her head, hands pressed over her ears.
But the shaking was dying down and the noise with it. When things were quiet enough for me to speak normally,
I interrupted the discussion about the amazing machine.
“Okay, everyone. You remember I said we’d probably be leaving at eleven tonight, but we might be leaving sooner? Well, we’re going to be leaving sooner. Some time quite soon, some guards are going to come in here and we’re going to make them give us their guns. Now, you remember we talked about this before. I’ll do the talking. The most important thing is to get those guns and not to let any of the guards leave the dorm. If anyone doesn’t understand, now is the time to say so.”
Nobody spoke up and I was pretty sure I’d drilled everyone well enough, so I let them all go to their bunks to put on any final layers and make last minute adjustments to their pocketfuls. Slipping my coat on, I touched the pocket that held my bookReader, my little photo wallet, my letters, my sewing kit and my purse. I checked the other pocket even more carefully, stuffed to capacity with white pillow case, flashlight, red handkerchief, air gun pellets—much good they’d do—flare gun and cartridges.
Then I sat on the edge of Jon’s bunk with the air gun in my lap and waited, concentrating on answering last minute queries from all comers.
“They’ll have to get the bigwigs unloaded and take them to the best room in the place,” said Jon, slowly and calmly, sitting beside me. Talking to take up time and distract me, and I was glad of it. “Then I imagine they’ll offer them refreshments and only then will they broach the business of why they’re here.”
“And send the guards to get me.”
“And send the guards to get you.”
“I hope they send at least three.” I was talking too fast but I couldn’t help it. “Three guns would be best. In case there is only one guard in the camera room. But four guards at once might be too much to handle. ‘Cause I think we could probably still take them, but it’ll be a real pain if anyone gets shot and has to be carried out…”
“We’ll manage,” said Jon, very firm and very calm. His rare anger had disappeared. He must be almost as stressed as I was.
Everyone milled and chattered, mostly holding hands with their buddy. The longer I wait
ed, the more the fear was overwhelmed by growing impatience. If there was any chance at all for Jane, we had to get started. But Jon was right. I couldn’t jeopardize the escape.
And finally we heard the click of the stairwell door and the tramp of feet. Too many feet to be the hourly check. I got up and moved to a spot three quarters of the way down the dorm, so that anyone who wanted to speak to me would have to advance well into the room. I put my hands—and the gun—casually behind my back, and waited.
The Menace strode into the dorm, practically trembling with a mixture of rage, triumph and anticipation. Sally and Watkins followed her in—Sally did evening to morning shifts and Watkins was off duty today, so all the duty guards must be running around after the exalted visitors.
My heart sank—the two guards I least wanted to shoot. But… if they were unconscious on the dorm floor, they couldn’t be ordered up to the battlements, could they? The Lord might just be watching out for them, after all.
“So,” Captain Wallis actually spoke instead of barking, but her tone sent a shiver down my spine. “Margaret Verrall. Margaret Verrall. What shall we do with you?”
The others all looked at me blankly. They’d no idea the half of what was going on. Sally’s eyes were wide.
“Margaret, why did you do it?”
“Silence,” snapped the Menace. “Margaret Verrall, we have some very important visitors. They require your presence. I would suggest you make your goodbyes, since
I think the chances of you being brought back are very slender indeed.”
“I agree. I have no intention of being brought back.
I have no intention of going anywhere with you three.” Swiftly, I covered them with the air gun, adopting a proper shooting pose, my feet well apart, both hands steadying the butt, so they could see I knew what I was doing. “Keep your hands where I can see them, please.”
All three of them stared at me in disbelief. No, at the thing in my hands. No time to stop, I must carry this through before they had a chance to think too hard. I walked forward towards them, slowly, my voice dropping to a menacing snarl.
“Take out your weapon, Captain, and hand it to me, nice and slowly…”
“How dare you…!”
“How dare I, Captain?” My voice snapped with rage, no acting required, merely the loosing of my darkest thoughts and desires. “How dare I? I wonder you dare speak to me like that, you! Who rejoiced in the death of one of my oldest, dearest friends, who have gloated over the deaths of hundreds, who would delight in watching the deaths of me and mine!
“Understand this, Captain, I loathe and detest you more than any person on this earth and if you don’t hand me your gun right now I will shoot you, and I will shoot you again, and I will keep pulling this trigger until there is no more charge and then we will see who dares speak to whom!”
The Captain stepped back a half step, her face whitening. Yes, she was a coward. I’d counted on it. She seized her gun with a shaking hand and drew it—carefully—taking the barrel with her other hand and beginning to hold it out to me, butt first.
But Watkins—more courage and more brains, it would be him—went for his gun. For a split second I waited, waited for the nonLee to be free of his holster, then I aimed and fired. The pellet struck the gun, spinning it from his hand. He swore in shock and spun around, but seeing six girls diving for it, came at me instead, understanding clear on his face.
The warden hadn’t seen what happened and wasn’t so quick to understand. Shoving the air gun into my left hand, I snatched the half-proffered pistol from her and raised it to point straight at Watkins, snapping off the safety. He lurched to a halt and spread his hands: I surrender.
“Well, I’ve always said they shouldn’t make replicas,” he panted.
“You’re lucky, Watkins,” I said in return. “I might’ve broken your finger.”
“What?” stammered the warden, in a poor attempt at her usual bluster. “What is going on!”
“We’ve been held up with a toy gun, Captain, near enough,” he informed her tonelessly.
“Rebecca, get Sally’s gun, would you?” I muttered.
Sally was pale and shaking, her eyes wide. No surprise if she didn’t deal with this well, just at the moment. Watkins touched her shoulder, careful not to move his hands out of my sight.
“Sit down, lass.” Taking his own advice, he creaked down onto the floor, stretching out his legs comfortably.
“Wh… what?” stammered Sally.
“Less far to fall,” said Watkins calmly. “Come, sit down. I’m quite sure they’re going to send us sleepy-bye in a minute.”
Sally crouched hesitantly beside Watkins, beginning to cry.
“Sally, it’s all right,” I said, softening my voice with difficulty. “We’re not Resistance, okay? We’re not going to hurt you. You’re going to get a nice little nap, that’s all.” Best not mention the splitting headache she had to look forward to.
“See, they’re not going to hurt us, Sally,” Watkins comforted her. “We know Margaret, don’t we? She’s a nice girl…”
Sally looked at him as he spoke, so I raised the nonLee and shot her. Watkins caught her as she toppled and since laying her down put him very near the ground, I shot him too. Which just left the Menace, sweating and fuming all at once.
“You can’t do this,” she whined.
“Oh, shut up,” I said. And pulled the trigger again. No one moved to catch her and her head bounced as it hit the linoleum floor. Well, I had a gun in each hand, that was my excuse. Aiming carefully, I put another charge into each unconscious figure. So that was three guards out of the picture for some hours.
Everyone was staring. Jon came up to me, so I took a deep, steadying breath and said as lightly as I could, “Good thing she believed I was serious, huh?”
Jon looked amused.
“You were rather scary, you know.”
Oh. I plastered a big smile on my face as I turned to my staring companions. See, it’s just Margaret, the same as ever…
“Okay, everyone, looks like the escape is on. Um, could you give that to Jon, Harriet? And Rebecca, give that gun to Caroline for now, but you’re number two backup, all right?”
Rebecca looked aghast.
“What happened to the barn doors being in no danger?”
“You shouldn’t have to do a thing and if you do they’re going to be a lot closer than the door was. You’ll be fine.” Well, didn’t I sound confident! Rebecca went on looking dubious, but the near-panic left her face.
“Could some of you get Watkins’ uniform off and give it to Jon? Caroline, you’ll need Sally’s uniform, I think.” She was taller and skinnier than me. But that left me with the Menace’s. Oh joy.
Once the unfortunate—fortunate?—guards were stripped to their underwear we heaved Watkins and Sally into two of the lower bunks and tucked them up with blankets. The Menace was even heavier than Watkins, or such was the excuse everyone gave, so a blanket was chucked over her where she lay and everyone tried not to step on her. Some harder than others.
With a pillow stuffed down my front I was able to button up the Menace’s trousers without them falling off.
I transferred the items necessary for the escape to the pockets of the uniform jacket, then, folding our own clothes, the three of us packed them into the one bag we’d be taking.
“Right.” I went to the window, opened it and looked out. As far as I could tell none of the guards in the towers were looking, and there was no one else in sight. I put my arm out, handkerchief in hand, and began to wave it. On only the third swing back and forth, a glint came from a point on the forestline, three times. I drew my arm back in, shut the window and checked my watch.
“Okay, everyone. Jon, Caroline and I are going to walk out of here and straight to the camera room. We’ll deal with that and come straight back. When we return, everyone must be ready to go down to the gym, okay? Rebecca, we’ll bring you a uniform back with us.”
Rebe
cca nodded without any further argument.
“Right…”
KABOOM
There was the most immense explosion immediately above us. The whole building shook, an upper bunk collapsed and chunks of ceiling came down all around. Screaming filled the dorm as people ran wildly to the door, climbed into lower bunk recesses or flung themselves down on the ground with their arms over their heads. I grabbed Jon at his off balance lurch and we clung to each other until the room stopped shaking.
“It’s all right!” I bellowed, as soon as my ears had stopped ringing. “We’re safe, it’s okay, someone just bazookered the helicopter…”
“No one’s aiming at us,” Jon joined in, “Calm down, calm down…”
As Rebecca, Jon and I all yelled reassurances, the screaming died down and people immediately began to relocate their buddies. Good. The crack crack of gunfire—the audible Lethal kind—began outside.
“I suppose they considered that a worthy target, however limited their stocks,” I muttered to Jon. “Told Bane he wouldn’t be able to control them. I just hope the pilot wasn’t in there.”
Grim-faced, Jon said nothing. No way for us to know.
“Let’s go,” I said. Lord, let the door not be buckled…
“Remember, Caroline,” added Jon, “Neither of us will fire unless Margo misses; we don’t want to hit them too many times, do we?”
Caroline shook her head vigorously and Jon must’ve heard her hair brushing her collar because he handed Rebecca his cane and followed me to the door, his hand touching lightly against my sleeve for guidance. Caroline fell in on the other side, trying to look sober and only managing a look of subdued excitement.
I swiped the card and the door opened fine. Letting out the breath I’d been holding, I tugged the peaked officer’s cap lower over my face and led the way down the corridor, trying to imitate the Menace’s bullish stride.
The camera room was at the top of the guard block so we only had to cross the stairwell. It would’ve been good to stop and listen before venturing across, but real guards didn’t sneak around. The door of what was presumably the duty guardroom was open, the room empty, so they must’ve rushed up to the roof.
I Am Margaret Page 27
