by Michael Bray
"Whoever is in there, please come out now."
Alan felt fear, hot and explosive in his gut, which tightened into a tiny, quivering ball.
"Come out now, and I promise, you won’t be harmed."
Alan couldn’t see him, but even so, he could almost hear the sneer in Lucas's voice.
"You cannot escape. Exit now, and you will be unharmed. This is your final warning."
Alan hesitated. There was something in his brain, a revelation or idea he couldn’t quite grasp. It was the feeling when an elusive name is on the tip of the tongue and won’t quite present itself.
"Whoever you are, you are not in any trouble. Just come out now. There are men all around the barn. You cannot escape."
It came to him then, exploding into clarity.
Why don't they just come in and take me?
There were plenty of them, and he was no match for them. He would have expected them to storm in and remove him with the same ruthlessness they had displayed from the start, and yet they were hanging back. Alan looked around the room at the women and understood. They were important, more than he might have ever imagined. He looked at his wife, absently wiping tears from his cheeks with the back of his arm, then took her face in his hands, leaning close, his forehead against hers. He could feel the intense, fever like heat from her skin.
"I wanth you tho undershtanth," he whispered, looking into her vacant lolling eyes. "Thith way ith the betht,"
He wanted her to respond. A nod, even just a moment of clarity to let him know she understood he was there with her and what he was about to do was a last resort.
"Look afthter the kidth, I'll be with you sthoon," he said, blinking away more tears as he kissed her on the forehead.
With a shaking hand, he reached out and opened the valve on her morphine feed, allowing it to flow without restriction. As he did it, his inner voice screamed at him that he was a murderer and what he was doing was wrong without even trying to fight. Another part of him, the one which was actually in control, argued there was no other choice, and this was the only way to end her suffering. As he watched and waited for his wife to die, another idea came to him. One which may even give him a chance at a little vengeance before he joined her in whatever came after. One thing he was certain of. No form of hell if it existed could be any worse than the horror he had endured so far. Wiping his eyes and giving his wife another kiss on the head, he looked around the room to see if there was any feasible way to put his plan into action. His eyes fell on the humming generator that Mike had been sent to fix. Despite everything, a very faint smile appeared on Alan's lips. The hammer sitting on top of it would do the job fine. He only wondered how many he would be able to free before Lucas sent his men in for him. His wife first, though. Just to be sure. He picked up the hammer, then, sobbing he swung it at her head with all the strength he could muster.
IV
Outside, Lucas stood, arms folded, legs spread as he glared at the barn door. At his side, his second in command, a man as broad as he was tall by the name of Gabriel joined him. Behind them, more men waited, weapons drawn, ready for action as soon as the command was given.
"Let me go in," Gabriel grunted, red veins glowing just beneath his skin. "I'll get this worm out of there."
"No," Lucas said, his eyes fixed on the door. "We can’t risk it. Joshua was very specific."
"There must be dozens of facilities like this by now, hundreds. We can afford the risk."
Lucas turned to Gabriel then, eyes full of venom. "And do you want to be the one to have to explain to Joshua that of all those dozens or hundreds of such camps, ours was the only one to be compromised? Have you any idea what he would do to us?"
"I’m sorry, I didn’t think."
"No, and that, Gabriel, is why I’m in charge of this facility and not you."
"So what do we do?"
"We coax him out. Then I’ll make him eat his own innards as I have every man under my command violate whoever he went in there to save in every way imaginable."
"That's not how the Eve programme works, it..."
Gabriel stopped speaking and lowered his eyes from the intense glare of his superior. Satisfied that he had regained control, he turned his attention back to the barn.
"There is nothing in there which can help you. Whoever you are looking for, a wife. A girlfriend. A lover. Whoever it is doesn’t matter. They belong to me now. You should be proud. They are the future and will bear the first natural born generations of our race. When you and your kind are dust, Eve will live forever, immortal and worshipped the world over."
Lucas hesitated, wondering if he would have to risk sending one of his men in when the doors to the barn burst open.
VI
Alan took a deep breath, only half hearing Lucas as he delivered his sermon. Exhausted from his efforts, he shoved the doors open, no longer afraid of anything Lucas or his men could do to him. He stood in the door covered in blood with the light at his back, his shadow distorted and ghastly as it was thrown in front of him towards Lucas and his men, whose look of absolute revulsion made his efforts worthwhile. He knew his actions wouldn’t change things, not really. If anything, it would only be a minor hindrance. A brief setback. To him, however, it was a huge victory. Whatever happened next, the look on Lucas's face was worth all the agony he knew was coming to him.
Alan stood in the light of the barn door, chest heaving as he breathed in ragged gasps. The hammer hung at his side, bloody clumps of flesh clinging to its head and dripping to the dusty ground. Blood splatter covered his face and chest, the whites of his eyes standing out as he stared straight ahead, a twisted half-smile on his lips.
"What have you done?" Lucas hissed.
"Freeth them," Alan said, dropping the hammer to the ground. "Freeth them all."
Lucas's men hurried into the barn, closely followed by Lucas himself, who came to a halt in front of Alan, glaring at him. Alan looked right back, no longer afraid.
"I’ll make an example of you for this. You understand that, don't you?" Lucas whispered as he looked beyond Alan to the carnage in the barn. "You will suffer like no man has ever suffered before," Lucas said with a sick smile.
Alan smiled back, in turn causing Lucas to show a flicker of shock. Alan dropped to his knees and put his hands on top of his head. He waited until Lucas's men dragged him to his feet and into the farmhouse towards whatever fate awaited him. Alan closed his eyes, and couldn’t wait to join his wife and children in death.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Joshua & Genaro
Oval Office
The White House
Washington DC, USA
The White House had been restored almost back to its pre-takeover state. Apart from the bullet holes which riddled the walls and the glass which was missing from the windows of the Oval Office, it could almost still house the President. Joshua was staring out of the window at the world he now thought of as his own when Genaro knocked on the door and walked in.
"Joshua, we have another problem."
Joshua didn’t turn from the window, nor did he answer. He remained in place, arms clasped behind his back. Genaro waited, unsure if he should speak or not.
"Go on," Joshua said, still staring out at the White House lawn.
"We have identified something else which could bring everything you've built crashing down."
"Oh?" Joshua said, turning to face the withered scientist. "And, much like the Richard Draven situation, I ask myself why am I only learning of this now?"
"I’m sorry, it was an oversight. Something I didn’t expect to be an issue."
Genaro stared at the carpet, doing everything he could to avoid the intense stare of his superior.
"Spit it out, doctor," Joshua said with a sigh as he sat at his desk.
"Remember when we first started the Apex project and you were the first to be administered the virus?"
"Don’t call it that," Joshua snapped. "Virus is such a negative word. This is our
gift."
"Our gift, then," Genaro said, clearing his throat. "When we first started our trials, you were so receptive to the serum, so compatible, that it rendered our previous subject as obsolete."
"Previous subject?" Joshua said, showing a real interest for the first time. "Doctor Genaro, you told me I was the first."
"The first success, yes, that much is true. Before you, however, there was another."
"Who?" Joshua snapped.
"Just a man. It was an early version of the vi... Serum. He lasted only a few sessions before we moved on from open trials to closed."
"And why did you stop?" Joshua said, his voice low, the sinister edge unmistakeable.
"He wasn’t compatible. Not like you. Whereas your system took and adapted to the programme, his... resisted."
"Resisted?" Joshua repeated.
"Yes. He rejected the change."
"What you're telling me, Doctor Genaro, is that you thought it was unimportant to tell me there was someone out there who was not only resistant to our gift but might be able to be used against us?"
"I'm sorry, I didn’t expect this to happen so quickly. If I had I-"
"Where is he?"
"We had him moved. Transferred to a secure prison in England. I didn’t think he would ever be found."
"But?"
"We intercepted intelligence which says there is an operation ongoing to extract him. I came straight here to tell you. We have some men a few miles from the location we can-"
"Destroy it."
"Joshua, we don’t need to do that. I can get some men to take care of this."
"No. I don’t want to take any chances. I want a nuclear device dropped on that prison right away. I don’t want to risk anything being left to be used against us."
"Joshua, please. I have family who lives within the blast radius it-"
"Family? And what are we?" Joshua said, standing and leaning on his desk. "Did I not make you part of my family? My inner circle? Is my generosity not enough to you?"
"No, of course not, it's just that my son, my grandchildren are-"
"Their deaths will be swift, my friend. Take solace in that. Remember how we must sacrifice the ties of the old world in order to usher in the new."
Genaro pursed his lips, then looked out of the window, straining to hold back tears which were unexpected and unwelcome.
"Don’t mourn them, my friend," Joshua said with a smile. "Honour their memory. Know that for them, the suffering of the world is behind them."
"Of course, it’s just... This all feels so inhuman, Joshua. This wasn’t the intention of the project. When I started I wanted to save lives, not take them."
"You see us as monsters?" Joshua said, walking to the window.
"No, not monsters, it just all seems so...brutal."
"It has to be this way. This world is so corrupt, so broken, only a complete purge will suffice."
"Millions will die."
"Millions already have," Joshua said. "That doesn’t mean we can stop."
"Please, I have done everything you have asked of me, don't make me kill my own grandchildren."
"Had you told me of this sooner, I could have dealt with it differently. Now, you leave me with no choice. Let your guilt and anguish be a lesson. Learn from it, Doctor Genaro, or do not. Whatever you choose to do is your decision to make. My orders still stand. Destroy the prison, and do it now."
Genaro hesitated, then lowered his head. "Yes, of course. I’ll give the command right away."
CHAPTER THIRTY
Parker, Stanhope, Trig & Ross
Belmarsh Prison Roof
England
"Fucks sake," Parker said, tossing the radio to the floor. "I still can’t get through to anyone."
"We can’t just stay up here," Stanhope replied as he checked on Trig, who was slumped forward, his bandaged neck soaked through with blood.
"Our extraction point was the roof. I don’t know what else we can do."
Parker stood and surveyed the landscape. Slate skies made the silence of the surrounding streets even more ominous. There was no sign of activity of any kind. "I don’t like this Stanny. It's too fuckin' quiet."
"I hear that. It's like a ghost town," Parker replied.
"I bet they've imposed martial law. People will be under curfew."
"Doesn’t help us much does it. We need to get out of here. Trig has lost a lot of blood, he needs a doctor. If our evac isn’t coming, it looks like we need to do it ourselves."
"What about that?" Stanhope said, nodding towards the courtyard below.
Parker joined him and looked over the side at the abandoned police van in the car park, the driver’s door open.
"Better than sitting here on our arses. Come on then, let’s do it," Parker said as he stood.
"Where will we go?"
"Woolwich I reckon. Somewhere neutral where we can get our target delivered."
"What's so important about him anyway?" Stanhope said.
"Fuck knows, mate. Let's just deliver him and be done with it."
"Alright, sounds good. Let's move out."
They moved to the rappel lines, Stanhope and Ross helping Trig, who was struggling to stay conscious.
"I’ll go first and see if there are keys in the truck," Stanhope said, unhooking Trig’s arm from around his neck and leaving Ross to bear his weight. Stanhope clipped onto the rappel line and was about to climb down when they heard it. An ear piercing shriek cutting through the silence.
"What’s that?" Ross said.
Parker and Stanhope exchanged glances.
"Air raid siren?" Stanhope said.
"Yeah," Parker replied. Both of them were thinking about the bombs which had fallen on Tokyo, Paris, Berlin and New York.
"Let’s get the fuck out of here, right now," Parker said, grabbing Trig and moving towards the rappel lines.
"What is it? What the hell's happening?" Ross shouted, eyes wide as he stared at them and then out at the eerie silence of the city. "Where the hell is everyone?"
"Not now pal," Stanhope said. "Let’s just get moving."
Parker helped Trig over the edge of the wall, clipping him onto Stanhope’s line. He took the other rope, helping Ross over into position. All the while, the siren continued to blare and slice through the air.
Stanhope and Trig landed first as Parker talked Ross through using the rappel lines. They stumbled towards the van, Trig weak and barely able to walk, Stanhope going as quickly as he could, unable to shake the idea that they were about to be nuked into oblivion. He looked to the skies, knowing the heavy cloud cover meant any bomb that did fall wouldn’t be seen until it was far too late. Stanhope opened the back of the van. Inside was a caged section with benches on each side of the van used to transport prisoners and keep them secure after arrest.
“Get in Trig, lie on the floor and for fucks sake keep some pressure on that wound."
Stanhope went to the driver’s side, grateful to find the keys still in the ignition. He climbed in and started the van, the growl of the engine as it spluttered to life giving him renewed hope. Parker and Ross were now on the ground and jogging to the van. Ross climbed into the passenger seat.
"I'll stay in the back and keep an eye on Trig. You get us out of here," Parker said.
"Got it. Now hurry up and get in the back."
Parker did as he was told, climbing in and slamming the door shut behind him. Stanhope looked over his shoulder through the mesh cage into the rear. "Hold on tight, this might get bumpy."
Parker nodded, already applying more pressure to Trig’s wound. Stanhope put the van into gear and turned it around, flooring the accelerator as he raced away from the prison. With the streets deserted, his progress was unhindered as he made his way through the twisting streets.
They heard it coming, a deep rumble like faraway thunder coming at them. Although it was already flat to the floor, Stanhope pressed the accelerator even harder, the heavy van struggling to pick up speed. Th
e sound built to an immense crescendo, then the flash of light came, illuminating the sky with intense brilliance.
Distracted and afraid, Stanhope misjudged his speed, the van slewing towards a shop window. He slammed on the brakes, tires screaming in protest as he desperately tried to slow their momentum. The van vaulted up over the curb and slid into the front of the florists, glass shattering as the van ploughed into it. Stanhope put the van into reverse, gears grinding as he tried to get the van back out onto the street. The rumble was loud now, an intense sound which was now reminiscent of an earthquake. Stanhope looked in the driver side mirror and saw the fireball racing towards them, its summit rising way out of sight. He drew breath as fear grasped him just seconds before the van and its occupants were obliterated to a molecular level by the blast which had destroyed the prison and everything else within a three-mile radius of it.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Pentagon War Room
Washington DC, USA
Kate watched from the operations room with the President, Bill Watson, and his team as the screens which had been giving live video feed from the cameras on Parker and his team’s body armour cut out, filling the screen with static. The room watched in silence, unable to comprehend what had happened. Watson left the room, leaving the President and the others in a shocked state of disbelief. Watson re-entered the room, his face pale and listless. He sat down heavily in his chair beside the president.
