Harriet Walsh 01: Peace Force

by Simon Haynes

  "There's no need to overreact. Everything's going to be okay."

  Canitt muttered under his breath. "Keep moving and shut up."

  Harriet was on tenterhooks as they took the final steps, and she breathed out with a whoosh as they reached the stairwell door. She didn't know whether Alice had got the message, or whether the girl's ankle hurt too much for her to move. Either way, she'd stayed out of sight.

  Then she had a random thought, and almost laughed out loud. What if Alice had already left the building, hobbling up the stairs to freedom while the coast was clear? Harriet fervently hoped that was the case, but she doubted it. It would have been too easy.

  Canitt motioned her through the glass doors, and Harriet relaxed a little. Now it was just the two of them plus the guard, and she was confident she could explain the situation.

  "Sit," said Canitt, indicating an office chair with castors on. She did so, and he beckoned to the guard. "Keep your gun on her. If she moves, shoot her."

  The guard looked uncertain. "Sir …"

  "Just do it!" snapped Canitt. "She's an armed intruder, man!" He strode to one of the enclosed labs and rummaged around, eventually returning with a length of surgical tubing which he used to bind Harriet's wrists and ankles. Once she was secure, he went back to the lab and returned with something concealed in his hand. "Charlie, I want you at the head of the stairs. Nobody comes down."

  The guard looked at him doubtfully. "Sir …"

  "Now!"

  Reluctantly, the guard obeyed. Once he left, Canitt gave Harriet a nasty smile. "Right, it's time to talk. And I warn you, I'll get the truth eventually, so you might as well save yourself some time and admit why you're here."

  So much for the mild-mannered businessman, she thought. All traces were gone, and Canitt's expression was ruthless and hard. "I already told you, I'm with the Dismolle Peace Force, and—"

  "Wrong answer." He opened his hand, revealing a syringe full of liquid. There was a droplet of clear fluid hanging from the end of the needle, and Harriet stared at it in horror. "Care to try again?" Canitt asked her.

  * * *

  Harriet struggled with her bonds, desperately trying to break free. She'd made a huge mistake, going quietly, and it seemed it might be the last mistake she ever made. What she should have done, she now realised, was to push Canitt down the damn stairs, or grab the guard and use his body as a shield. Something, anything, other than going meekly to her doom.

  She spared an angry thought for Bernie, too. What the hell had the robot been thinking, involving her with a nutcase like Canitt? Surely Bernie knew Harriet would have no chance!

  With one last jerk, she gave up on the bonds. There was no way out, and Canitt was slowly getting closer with the needle.

  "Five years," whispered Canitt. "Five years, those liars and thieves have been trying to get their hands on my formula. They've tried hacking into my network, they've tried bribing my staff, they've intercepted shipments and they've even stolen my identity. But none of it worked, and do you know why?"

  Harriet shook her head.

  "Because I will do anything, go to any lengths, to protect my formula." He raised the syringe. "And I do mean anything."

  "So what's the plan?" asked Harriet, trying to keep her voice level. "Knock me out, cut me up, sell me to your clients?"

  "Oh, so you know about my sideline?"

  "That's why the Peace Force is investigating your company. We don't care about the formula, or the fact you're undercutting your competitors with cheaper organs. But start fiddling your taxes, and we'll come down on you like a ton of bricks."

  Canitt's eyes narrowed. "You're well briefed, I'll give you that. You can't be working for Rutherford, he's just a thug. Green Arrow, then? Oh, they'd love to—"

  "Have you not heard a single word I've been telling you?" demanded Harriet. "There's a Peace Force badge in my pocket." She looked down. "Somewhere under this lot, anyway."

  "You're not Peace Force. I mean, look at you! None of that stuff fits you properly."

  "It's—"

  "Do you know what you remind me of? You remind me of a little kid playing dress-ups."

  "My commset is Peace Force issue. Go on, take it. Show it to the guard, he might recognise what you're too stupid to see."

  Canitt took it from his pocket and inspected it. "These were old when I was a kid. The Peace Force wouldn't use—"

  "We're not a front-line station. We get older gear. Cast-offs."

  "Lies and excuses," said Canitt.

  "Look at the gun!" said Harriet. "That's Peace Force too."

  Canitt pulled it from his waistband and glanced at it. Then he shrugged. "Nothing special about it."

  Harriet's lips tightened. How the hell was she supposed to convince him? "It's a training weapon. It won't fire."

  He laughed. "Sure, and you're hoping I'll test it. I blow a hole in the vats, and—"

  "Shoot me," said Harriet.

  Canitt's jaw dropped. "What?"

  "Try shooting me with it. It won't work."

  "Don't be stupid."

  "I'm serious. That gun will only work on a Peace Force firing range."

  Canitt looked at the gun doubtfully. Then he looked around, before settling on a metal trash can. He walked over, put the syringe down on a desk and pointed the gun inside the trash can, shielding his eyes with his empty hand. Then he pulled the trigger.

  Click. Click-click.

  "I told you," said Harriet evenly.

  "It's just flat," said Canitt, but for the first time his voice was uncertain. He eyed the gun, then shrugged and put it down alongside the syringe. Then he strode towards her and put his hands on her shoulders, and, before she knew what was happening, he wheeled her to one of the self-contained labs. He used a card to open the glass doors, then pushed her inside, still tied to the office chair.

  There was a curious smell in the lab, like stale stew, but Harriet didn't have much time to look around because Canitt was leaving. "I'm going to make a few calls. In the meantime, sit tight and don't go anywhere." His lips twisted at that, but before Harriet could hit him with a heroic come-back, he left.

  Then, automatically, the glass door slid to, sealing her in.

  Chapter 23

  Harriet surveyed her prison, but it didn't look promising. There was a desk behind her, laden with chemistry equipment, and there were benches along the walls with storage bins and cupboards underneath. The glass door was the only way in and out, and the walls, though made from plain glass, looked as strong as concrete.

  Still, at least Canitt had gone.

  Harriet didn't have time to plot her escape, because the guard came back moments later. "The boss said to shoot you if you talked," he shouted, cupping his hands to the glass to ensure he was heard.

  Harriet opened her mouth to respond, but the guard shook his head and tapped the weapon in his holster. She didn't really believe he'd shoot her over something that trivial, but she wasn't willing to risk it. And, as long as the guard was around, he might rein in Canitt's desire to torture her. She'd noticed the way Canitt had hidden the syringe from the guard earlier. That was a positive sign, at least.

  Harriet glanced around, hoping to find a knife to cut her bonds, and a commset to call Bernie, and maybe a nice cup of coffee and a reset switch, so she could start the whole damned day from scratch. "Or none of the above," she muttered.

  Some rescuer she'd turned out to be, she thought. She should have got Alice out the first time she entered the building, busted ankle or not. But, in her defence, at the time she hadn't realised Canitt really was crooked - or that he was a paranoid, syringe-wielding maniac. Well, she'd certainly learned a lot from Bernie's training mission, pretend or not. It was just a pity she might never get to use her new-found skills.

  While she was musing on her failures, she glanced across the main lab to the airlock doors. Through them she could see the lift, which would give her a bit of notice when Canitt returned. If she could get her feet f
ree, at least, she'd try kicking him backwards through the glass wall. Even if it didn't break, the toughened glass might daze him, or knock him out. The guard would be a problem, but hey, if Canitt's thick head didn't break the glass then maybe it would be blaster-proof too.

  Then, in the confusion, she might be able to grab another syringe and hold it to Canitt's neck, walking right out of the building with Alice hobbling along behind.

  But what if Canitt recovered before she got her hands free? Her mouth went dry at the thought. She'd never been a fighter, preferring to talk herself out of sticky situations, and she'd never had to fight for her life before. A small part of her still believed she could talk her way out, but if Canitt came near her with the syringe, she wasn't going to make it easy for him.

  Then, while she was picturing a savage fight for survival, she noticed a small movement. It wasn't the guard, as he was sitting at one of the desks nearby, watching her. No, it was Alice she could see! The girl was on hands and knees near the elevator, moving towards the double glass doors leading into the airlock. As Harriet watched, Alice reached up to the controls and swiped a card. The doors opened silently, and she scuttled inside.

  Harriet realised the guard was going to hear the inner doors, so she pushed her chair backwards, hard. The back slammed into a desk, knocking over the chemistry equipment with a resounding crash. Glass shattered, liquids splashed, and the smell of stale meat was strong enough to make her gag.

  Meanwhile, the guard jumped up and ran towards her, shouting at her to stop.

  So, she slammed her chair into the desk again.

  The guard grabbed a swipe card from his belt and frantically ran it through the reader. Each time, it flashed a baleful red, buzzing at him. Harriet smiled as she realised he didn't have high enough clearance for the lab. She also smiled when saw Alice was through the second set of doors. The girl scuttled behind a desk, out of sight of the guard.

  Meanwhile, the guard had taken out his gun was pointing it at Harriet through the window. She got the message: don't do it again. She'd already achieved what she set out to do, so she nodded. After a last angry look, he returned to his seat where he sat watching her like a hawk.

  No sooner had he sat down than Alice popped up from behind her desk. She scanned the surface, then picked up a paperweight and threw it further into the lab, towards the vats. It was a perfect shot, and Harriet heard the 'Clangggg' through the thick glass. The guard jumped up, stared at Harriet, then turned to face the vat.

  She almost laughed at his puzzled expression. She didn't, though. He was armed, and if he spotted Alice … who knew what might happen?

  The guard took a couple of steps towards the vats, then stopped to give Harriet a suspicious look. That's when Alice threw something else, further this time, and even though Harriet didn't hear it, the guard certainly did. He spoke briefly into his two-way, then ran deeper into the lab, past the vats.

  Alice watched him go, then got up and limped towards Harriet's enclosure, her face a mask of pain as her weight came down repeatedly on her damaged ankle. When she reached the glass doors she fell against the wall, then reached up with a swipe card and ran it through the reader.

  Beep! Green!

  Harriet wanted to shout with joy, but there was no time for celebration. "Can you untie me?"

  Alice's face was pale, and she looked all-in. There was a look of determination on her face though, and despite the danger of getting trapped, she limped into the glass enclosure and knelt behind Harriet.

  "He's got disgusting stuff in the vats," said Alice, her voice shaking.

  "Yeah, I know. It's just the fake meat."

  "Not those vats, the other ones out the back. They've got … eyeballs in."

  "Yeah, they grow body parts here."

  "Really?"

  "Yeah. They're not from real bodies." Seconds later the bonds were loose, and Harriet shook off the tubing and stood up. She almost fell over again, her feet having gone numb, but she forced herself up and put her arm around Alice. "Thanks," she muttered. "I owe you."

  "Yeah, I thought I'd show you how to rescue people," said Alice gruffly.

  Harriet had no answer to that one.

  They left the enclosure and made their way to the nearest desk, where they both sank gratefully to the floor. Then, after checking where the guard was, they crawled swiftly to another desk closer to the exit.

  That's when they heard a shout. Harriet risked a look, and saw the guard staring into the glass enclosure in shock. His prisoner had vanished from the sealed lab like a magician's assistant, and his expression couldn't have been more surprised if she'd left a couple of doves on the office chair, cooing and flapping their wings.

  Harriet realised their escape attempt was doomed. He only had to take a few steps to see them, and he was armed. She wondered whether to make a dash for her pistol, trusting that Canitt hadn't told the guard it was virtually useless, but then Alice took matters into her own hands. She grabbed a coffee mug off the desk and threw it as hard as she could towards the rear of the lab. There was a loud crash as it landed, and a pitter-patter of broken fragments as it shattered all over the hard floor. The guard jumped, and charged after it like a cat chasing a particularly juicy mouse.

  Harriet turned towards the airlock doors and realised Alice was halfway there already, hobbling along like her life depended on it. She caught up with the girl easily, took her elbow and helped her towards the glass doors barring their exit.

  That's when the lift doors opened, and Canitt stepped out. And worse, he had the other two guards with him.

  Chapter 24

  "What the hell is going on?" demanded Canitt, when he saw Harriet and Alice frozen near the airlock doors. "Who the hell is this," he said, indicating Alice, "… and why is she free?" This, while pointing at Harriet.

  The original guard looked even more surprised than Canitt. "This must be the missing girl, sir. She said she was here to find a runaway."

  "And here she is," said Harriet. "As I keep saying, I'm with the Dismolle Peace Force and you—" here, she pointed at Canitt. "—you are under arrest."

  "Don't listen to her!" shouted Canitt. "They're both working for Arrow … they're spies, here to ruin my company."

  "That one doesn't look very old for a spy," said the guard, nodding at Alice.

  "Do you want to lose your jobs, all of you? They're here to ruin me!"

  "But sir—"

  Canitt ignored him, and advance on Alice. "Do you know what we do to spies around here?"

  Alice refused to back down, staring directly into his eyes until he turned away.

  "Tie them both up," said Canitt in disgust.

  "What are you going to do?" asked the guard.

  "I'm going to make sure they don't escape again." He faced the other guards. "You two, I want a search of the whole building, top to bottom. There might be more of them."

  "Sir," said the female guard, with a nervous glance at Harriet. "If she really is Peace Force …"

  "She's not! We all know there's no Peace Force on Dismolle, and take a look at her uniform! It's like the sweepings from a charity shop."

  "She's Peace Force," said Alice quietly. "I was at the station earlier. When they realise you've got us, they're going to storm this building and—"

  "Lies!" shouted Canitt. "Don't listen to her, she's making it up. You two, start the search now. That's an order!"

  The guards hesitated, but Canitt won out and they left for the upper floors. Meanwhile, the original guard herded Alice and Harriet towards another of the enclosed labs, where they were both tied to chairs.

  "Right," said Canitt, suddenly calm again. "Go and help the others with the search."

  "Don't you want me to stay and help?"

  "Is this some kind of special day I don't know about? Bring your arguments to work day, or something?"

  "No sir."

  "Then go."

  Reluctantly, and to Harriet's dismay, the guard left. He looked back a couple
of times, and his expression was uncertain as the elevator doors closed.

  Then they were alone with Canitt.

  "Two little spies, creeping around my labs. And you still haven't told me who you work for!" He went to the desk, set his gun down and returned with the syringe. Harriet cursed at the sight of it, and wished she'd crushed the damn thing under her heel.

  Canitt smiled. "You might feel a bit nauseous, but it won't last long. You'll be out cold in minutes."

  "Look, Alice didn't do anything," said Harriet. "Let her go … please? She's just a kid!"

  Canitt ignored her. "You know, some old biddy is going to pay a fortune for your organs."

  "I'd rather keep them myself."

  "In a way, you're lucky. I could just start cutting, but why make a mess?" The needle came closer and closer to Harriet's arm. Canitt's hand was shaking, and a drop of liquid landed on her skin. "Tell me who you're working for," he hissed. "Tell me!"

  "For the last time, I'm with the Peace Force. I came here to find Alice!"

  "Yeah, yeah. So you keep saying." Canitt pressed a thumb into the crook of her arm, forcing a vein to the surface.

  Harriet could feel her pulse hammering, and the needle was like a sliver of ice as it touched her skin. "Please, she's only fifteen!"

  There was a gleam in Canitt's eyes. "Younger organs fetch the best prices."

  "You're a monster," spat Harriet.

  "And you're a filthy spy. Who do you work for?"

  Harriet closed her eyes, expecting the sting of the needle at any second. There was no point telling him the truth, because he was fixated on his damn spies. Then she had a thought … maybe she could get out of this by confessing? It might buy her some time at least.

  CRASH!

  The noise was distant, but powerful enough to shake the building. For a moment Harriet wondered if it was a spaceship crashing into the ground, but then the noise was repeated, closer.

  CRASH!

  Canitt looked up the ceiling, and Harriet started breathing again as the syringe was withdrawn.

  CRASH!

  It was louder this time, and Canitt stared at her in shock. "What was that? What's happening?"