Our secret is out. The van has been identified. Increase your speed and take the next exit. GMRC aerial drones are en route _
Jessica swore and stepped on the gas. The racket from the van’s old engine increased in volume as it strained to obey the mechanical command of its driver. Jessica watched the speed on the main dial edge upwards towards one hundred and fifty kilometres per hour. The van, now in the fast lane, flew past slower traffic on the inside. A blue road sign, alerting her to the next exit, appeared out of the darkness ahead, lit up by the van’s headlights. Jessica aimed the vehicle down the off ramp, hitting the brakes hard to slow down their rapid transition onto a tight bend. The van’s suspension rolled to one side, the tyres screeching on the road surface as they flew round and onto a smaller single lane back road. Jessica slowed the pace, checking her mirrors for any sign of pursuit; they might have drones in the air, but the feeling of being chased was a powerful one and her senses were all on edge.
Keep your speed up and pull off into the town of Aalen. Follow the map I am about to put on this screen _
Jessica increased her speed again, overtaking a couple of slower vehicles in the process, but wary of the smaller road which appeared to have less salt on it to keep the snow and ice at bay. Following the coloured map on the screen, she soon found herself pulling into a small field. The van bumped and bounced across the uneven surface, which roused Eric from his deep sleep.
‘What’s going on? Why have we left the main road?’ he asked in concern.
‘We’re being followed. They’re looking for the van. Bic guided us here; we’re on the outskirts of a town called Aalen.’
‘What does he want us to do, hide?’
‘No.’ She pointed to the screen, which had changed back to text. ‘He wants us to do that.’
Take what you can carry from the van and then run it into the lake in front of you. Hurry – the drones are in the area and are scanning for you _
Eric spoke into the screen. ‘What about all my things? There’s too much to carry!’
There is no time to argue Eric. Just do as I say or you will get caught _
Jessica stopped the van near the edge of the body of water, which looked to have a thin covering of ice over it, and clambered into the back to join Eric, who was throwing things around in a blind panic.
‘Calm down!’ Jessica said. ‘Think. Just take the bare essentials.’
It wasn’t long until the two stood outside on the hard snow, their breath sending dissipating puffs of hot air twisting into the starless night sky. Each carried a cardboard box crammed with Eric’s most cherished computer equipment, a few items of clothing, and some packs of food. Jessica put her box down, got back into the van, turned the engine on and backed it up twenty feet. Leaving the handbrake on, she put it into first gear and then wedged down the accelerator with one of Eric’s discarded box of tricks. Opening the driver’s door, Jessica dropped the handbrake and jumped clear. The van gained some speed and then crunched down into the ice at the edge of the lake, its momentum sending it further in as water rushed in around it. Eric looked downcast as the top of the vehicle disappeared from view, consumed by the black depths of the lake it to which had just been sacrificed.
Jessica glanced down at the screen perched in the top of the open box she now cradled in her arms. ‘Come on,’ she told him. ‘Bic says to follow this map.’
The two fugitives trudged out of the field and onto the road. Five minutes on and they’d reached a residential housing estate, Bic’s messages guiding them to an empty house wired into a high-tech security system. Regrettably for the absent owners, the system hadn’t accounted for coming into contact with a world class hacker and Bic had soon disabled it, providing them with entry through the back door. Taking the opportunity to create new disguises to aid with any future evasion of the GMRC and police, the two searched the bedrooms for clothing. The women’s clothing Jessica found in one of the wardrobes was way too large for her small frame, but Eric had found the house was also home to two teenage boys; perfect for him and adequate for her. Gathering up some sports jackets, trousers, trainers and sweatshirts, the two went into separate rooms to change. Jessica, alone in a stranger’s house and putting on boy’s attire while on the run from the GMRC, felt a strange kind of detachment from reality as she struggled into a tight T-shirt. Managing to wrestle it over her head, she saw that Eric stood in the doorway watching her.
She let out a small scream. ‘Get out!’ she shouted, acutely aware she was only in her knickers below the waist.
Eric ducked back out of the room. ‘Sorry!’ he said, from the other side of the door.
Jessica emerged a few minutes later and gave him a stern look. ‘You should knock if a lady is changing.’
Eric blushed and nodded in mute recognition of his inadequate etiquette. Now ready to move again, they worked their way through into the attached double garage which contained a brand new electric sports car.
Eric whistled in appreciation. ‘Schön. I get to drive it first.’
Eric took the lead this time and used one of his gizmos to unlock the doors and start up the electric motor. Stowing their dwindling gear into the tiny boot, Jessica opened the large up and over door and then returned to sit in the passenger seat next to an eager Eric.
‘Be careful,’ she said, ‘it’s still icy out there.’
Eric heeded her warning and they only picked up speed once they’d returned to the autobahn. As they kept to the limit, to avoid drawing attention, a high pitched whistling noise passed overhead. Peering out of the windscreen they caught sight of a small fast moving object in the sky above.
Jessica’s eyes narrowed. ‘GMRC drone.’
‘Except they’re looking for an old beat-up van, not a state-of-the-art sports car,’ Eric said, a mischievous grin spreading across his boyish face.
He was right to be pleased, too, as they arrived at Stuttgart without further incident. Again following Bic’s directions, the two found themselves driving the car into what looked like an old monastery, the cobbles beneath making it feel like the car was being shaken to pieces as it travelled over the uneven surface. From out of a small building within a courtyard, a man dressed in plain brown ecclesiastical garb directed them into a small carport. Exiting the stolen vehicle, the doors shutting with two soft thuds, the companions retrieved their possessions and followed the man into a nearby building without a word being exchanged between them. Eric entered first with Jessica close behind. Shutting the door, she turned around to see Eric standing with his hands in the air.
‘Hände hoch!’ the man said. He held a large double-barrelled shotgun and it was pointed at her chest.
Jessica put down her box and rucksack and raised her hands in the air.
The man motioned at the floor with his gun. ‘Hinlegen, legen Sie Ihre Hände hinter dem Rücken!’
Eric and Jessica did as they were bid, lying face down on the floor and putting their hands behind their backs. As she lay on the cold, hard stone, her face going numb, Jessica remembered her experience back in New York and felt an unpleasant sense of déjà vu. The man, who dressed like a monk but acted like a soldier, grabbed her wrists. A plastic cable tie was pulled tight around them, the sound of its small ratchet teeth loud to her ears as it bit deep into her flesh.
‘I don’t know who you two are,’ the man said in English, his accent Middle Eastern, ‘but you have made a big mistake coming here.’
Jessica closed her eyes and sighed. They had been betrayed.
Chapter Eleven
Sarah awoke with a start, another nightmare lingering on the edges of memory, the same images of maps, fire and smoke haunting her dreams like a vengeful spirit reluctant to depart. She could almost taste the ash in her mouth and feel the heat on her skin, so vivid and powerful were the departing visions; she put her hands to her face as her emotions sought to release tears she was determined not to let fall. Sweat had beaded on her brow and the rest of her skin felt cold and cla
mmy. Curling into a ball, she attempted to preserve some body heat and opened her eyes to take in her stark surroundings. The familiar cramped cell was an unwelcome sight, so she pulled her small blanket up over her head to block it from view.
This was the fifth day of her second stint in the military prison. Mercifully, so far at least, she hadn’t had to endure the company of Sergeant Major Collins; although, she mused, the way my luck is going – give it time.
Why did I venture into that restricted area so soon after my reunion with Trish and Jason? she asked herself. I’d barely had time to speak to them and now I could be locked up for God knows how long. She inwardly cursed her own stupidity, but another part of her mind, a quieter, more sensible part, advised her that hindsight was a wonderful thing.
Given the high level of security clearance required to enter the Sanctuary Exploration Division – level seven, according to the man who had blown her cover – her stay could well be a long one. Military justice was not often associated with a fair trial; in fact, I’ll be lucky to get a trial at all, she decided.
Strangely her guard seemed almost happy to see her return to the prison. She assumed he must get lonely down there and be only too pleased to have someone to feed and water on a regular basis. It made the atmosphere of confinement marginally better than her previous experience, but when he’d given her a small rubber ball to while away her time she’d felt like a caged pet that had just been gifted with a new toy. While being a kind gesture, it was still humiliating, and she’d refused to play with it as a matter of principle and pride.
Hours came and went and Sarah shifted round the cell in varying positions as her boredom mounted. When she found herself lying upside down on the bed with her head hanging towards the floor, she could resist it no longer. The small orange ball which she had been trying to ignore all but shouted ‘play with me, Sarah!’ from its position in the corner of the room. Jumping up, she grabbed it and squeezed it in the palm of her hand; the sensation felt oddly comforting. She bounced it a few times on the floor, each impact echoing around the enclosed space. Positioning herself on the bed she bounced the ball from floor to wall and back over to the bed, where she caught it deftly. Repeating the process she zoned out, enjoying the basic pastime with a mindless enthusiasm. The fact that the activity resembled an old movie she’d once seen was not lost on her, the rhythm of the ball hitting the hard surfaces becoming almost hypnotic in its regularity.
Sarah was unsure how much time had passed when the sound of her cell door being unlocked roused her from her game. She was almost annoyed at the intrusion as she’d been varying the ball’s speed and trajectory, making it harder and harder to catch; it was actually quite entertaining.
The guard pulled back the heavy sliding door. ‘I see you like the ball.’
Sarah shrugged and made an odd noise of indifference. She didn’t want to show her appreciation too soon; perhaps he would try harder and bring her something even better next time.
As he led her down the all too familiar corridor a feeling of dread descended upon her. ‘You’re not taking me to see Collins are you?’
‘No. The Sergeant Major has been suspended from duty since – well, you know why.’
Thank God for that, she thought to herself, sitting down in the interrogation room.
‘Someone will be with you shortly,’ the guard told her and then left her alone once more. From the sound of it he wasn’t even sticking around to prevent her from escaping; his footfalls receded down the corridor until they were out of earshot.
Once more the time dragged inexorably by and Sarah fiddled with her fingers. As more time passed, the clock on the wall ticking away the seconds, she found herself chewing at her fingernails. Biting one off, she leant to her left and spat it onto the floor. As she looked back, Sarah near jumped out of her skin as someone sat down in front of her.
‘Jesus!’ she said in shock. ‘Creep much, why don’t you?’
The man looked amused. ‘Lost your nail clippers, have you?’
‘You!’ she said, her eyes narrowing in recognition.
The man smiled. ‘Yes, me.’
‘What happened to the three minutes’ head start you promised me?’ she said, as various emotions vied for control within her.
‘I don’t remember promising anything, I offered you three minutes and then you shot off like a cheetah with its tail on fire and I had to revaluate my position. I’m Riley Orton, by the way.’ He held out a hand.
Sarah looked at the proffered digits with disdain, refusing to take them.
Riley didn’t take offence and instead pointed to her face. ‘How’s the bruise?’
Sarah’s hand went to the right side of her face before she snatched it back down, her expression fierce. ‘What do you care?’
‘It looks painful. Butt of a gun, I heard?’
Sarah looked at the floor, not caring to speak any further to the man who’d been pivotal to her current incarceration.
‘Look,’ he said as he put a hand out towards her to try and regain her attention. ‘I didn’t know you had form. I thought you would just get a rap on the knuckles; no harm, no foul. How was I to know you’d already been in here for months? Everyone who lives and works in Sanctuary is selected on merit, no one is ever down here unless they’re allowed to be down here; which, by the way, is very impressive – you gaining access to a top secret facility over two miles underground – you’ll have to tell me the story sometime.’
Sarah glared at him.
‘Or not,’ he said quickly. ‘Anyway, when I heard of your indefinite term in the prison I thought I’d better act, seeing as I was the one who landed you here.’
He paused; waiting for a reaction but Sarah still sat stony faced, refusing to interact with him. Whatever he wanted she wasn’t going to make it easy.
‘I used to work in the military,’ he told her as if she cared, ‘so I called in some markers and I’ve got you released.’
Sarah’s distrust switched to disbelieving hope as she looked at Riley in a new light.
‘So you’ll be free to go as soon as the paperwork is completed,’ he said.
‘What’s the catch?’ She feared some kind of ‘but…’ coming on.
‘No catch. Well, that’s not strictly true. I will need you to commit to something for me.’
Sarah heaved a sigh; she knew it was too good to last. ‘Something?’
‘Yes. I want you to come and work at the SED.’
‘What? You want me, a level one interloper, to work in Sanctuary’s Exploration Division? Why and how!?’
Riley smiled at her. ‘The how is easy. I lead one of the elite Deep Reach teams for the SED, so I operate with a certain amount of autonomy and I also wield some clout with SED Command. As to the why, I want you on my team. It’s as simple as that.’
Her mistrust returned. ‘Nothing is that simple.’
‘Well, no, you’re right,’ he conceded. ‘There are many reasons why I, and the SED, want you working for us. First, you’ve already seen our hub of operations, which we would like to keep out of the public sphere. If you worked for us we wouldn’t have to worry about exposure. Most of our work is highly classified and if word got out that teams of people were regularly going outside the USSB and deep into Sanctuary Proper, then unrest could spread through the rank and file.
‘Secondly, according to your file, you are an accomplished climber with extensive field experience in a variety of challenging terrains. Such skills make you a perfect candidate for a Deep reach survey team. Thirdly, you are a qualified anthropological archaeologist who has not only managed to uncover ancient artefacts and remains belonging to a race that has been hidden away for generations, but someone who has managed to locate and penetrate the most secretive and secure facility on the planet. Sarah, if anyone was born to work in Sanctuary’s Exploration Division, it’s you.
‘If you want further reasons, you have helped highlight significant flaws in the SED’s security procedures,
and last, but by no means least, your deployment to the SED will alleviate my guilt for getting you into this mess. Also, on an entirely more selfish note, your addition to my team will give me the edge over the competition.
‘So, what do you think?’ he asked her. ‘Fancy becoming a member of one of the most exciting, dangerous and important professions in the world?’
Sarah couldn’t help but chuckle and shake her head in disbelief at the sudden turnaround in her fortunes. Riley certainly put up a good case for why she should take him up on the offer. What he didn’t know was she had an even better reason for joining; it would gain her precious access outside of the USSB and much greater freedom to document, and then to potentially escape, Sanctuary itself.
Sarah gestured to his red and blue uniform. ‘Do I get to wear the helmet that goes with that suit?’
Riley grinned at her and the effect was contagious.
♦
Riley was as good as his word and later that day Sarah was released from military custody back into the general populace of the United States Subterranean Base. Amazingly, Riley had already managed to secure her a new apartment, located within a chamber reserved for SED personnel. Upon leaving the military enclave she had also had her MF Card upgraded to a clearance level of Seven Delta, a far cry from the level One Beta she had initially been allocated.
Riley himself had shown her round her new home, which was a two storey affair with over four times the space of the old apartment; although, as before, half the rooms, including her bedroom, backed onto a transport route, pedestrian walkways passing right next to her windows. Nothing was ever perfect, it seemed.
Once Riley had departed, Sarah, readjusting to her new reality, was overwhelmed to see her MF Card now contained a sizeable number of credits. An advance on future earnings, she assumed, or perhaps another bribe from Riley; either way she was pleased to have it, as it enabled her to call Trish and Jason and to arrange a meet up in the New Park district.
2041 Sanctuary (Dark Descent) Page 16
