With a scream of anguish he grabbed at the sky and caught a shred of fabric, a piece of old clothing – far too big for the small person inside it – that was flying out behind her. He couldn’t catch her, but he could catch her stolen clothes; he grabbed them and pulled – and as he pulled he fell.
He hit the edge of the building with his shoulder and screamed with pain at the impact. He rolled over and away from the edge, still clutching his precious bundle of rags. He rolled and he rolled, gasping for breath, until finally he came to an abrupt stop as he crashed against the walls of the roof entrance. He lay still, holding the bundle, dazed, confused and unsure. Then the realisation came over him; he was still alive, bruised and sore, but alive. And, more importantly, so was she. He muttered a prayer of thanks and blessed his God.
***********************
He held her tight, his arms wrapped around her skinny body. She lay next to him, straight, stiff and tense. Suddenly he remembered how men had held her before and quickly let her go. Still she didn’t move; she was waiting for what she thought must be the inevitable. He pulled away from her and rolled up onto his knees. She lay on the ground staring up at him with those wide, frightened eyes.
‘Well, lassie, that was a close one.’ He tried to sound light-hearted; he felt only apprehension. Still she lay looking up at him, a look of puzzlement on her face. ‘Shall we go, lassie? Somewhere safe, what do you think?’
She sat up, at last, still looking puzzled. ‘You talk funny,’ she said.
He burst out laughing. The relief was so great. ‘Aye, well, it has been said before,’ he said. ‘My name’s Euan. Are you going to give me your name?’
She hesitated. ‘Olivia,’ she said.
‘Olivia?’
She pulled a face. ‘Stinks, doesn’t it?’
‘It’s a pretty name.’
‘I don’t like it. Everyone calls me Ollie. At least ... they did before.’
‘Ollie sounds good to me.’
She continued to stare.
‘Shall we go?’
‘Aren’t you going to ...?’
‘I’m not going to touch you. I told you, I’m taking you to a safe place. Are you hungry?’
She nodded.
He looked at her, meeting her direct gaze. She had a pale face with freckles. Her Fabian mark had been burnt into her left cheek by a hot brand. He liked her face; it expressed cunning and intelligence.
‘We’ll go somewhere safe where they’ll feed you,’ he said. She opened her mouth to speak, but he forestalled her, ‘And no one is going to touch you, not like that anyway.’
She nodded again, this time she smiled and he knew he had won.
Chapter 99
3 April 2040, 6pm
Elmscott House, home of Martin Harrison
After the second explosion, I was given permission to move. I was pulled to my feet and up onto my crutches. I moved forward, flanked by Angus, Sonia and Phaedo. The air was thick with choking dust and the ground was littered with rubble and debris. The small bombs had created chaos in a small space. I moved from the cold and drizzle to a warm, dimly-lit interior.
‘Lights please!’ shouted someone. Lights came on. We moved carefully through the building. There were more explosions and the ground seemed to move slightly. Someone placed a restraining arm across my chest and I was pulled to a halt. I could hear shouting and screaming. I could hear people dying. I turned to the General. ‘Those are not ours are they?’ It was a foolish question; how could he know? He shook his head. He was not really listening to me. Instead, he was tuned in to the sounds around us, to the possibility of death, to the unknown quantity that could take and destroy you. We continued to move into the house.
All the windows had been boarded up with exquisitely painted wooden shutters, creating a dark but still stunningly beautiful interior. It was full of wonderful things. Everything I looked at held a fascinating splendour. It should have been the home of a beautiful mind. Yet, how could it be?
Someone ran up to us. ‘We’ve secured all the substrata servants,’ she panted. ‘They’ve been talking to us.’
‘Is he here?’ asked the General.
‘They’re saying no, and we’ve searched the premises and found nothing.’
‘Do you think they’re telling the truth?’ I asked.
She shrugged her shoulders. ‘All I know is that there’s no sign of him and, logically, there’s no reason why he should hang around for us to descend on him.’
‘Makes sense,’ said the General.
‘All this for nothing,’ muttered Phaedo.
‘We were warned,’ said Sonia. ‘Our contacts said a helicopter was seen leaving several hours ago.’
‘So we trash his house and leave,’ said the General.
The lights flickered then went out. For a moment, we were plunged into absolute darkness; then they flickered once more and the light returned. ‘Make sure you keep that bloody power on in case any of that bastard’s friends are around,’ whispered Angus to the scout. She nodded and disappeared down one of the corridors.
I stood with my eyes closed. That moment of darkness had told me everything I needed to know. I understood the man. I understood the monster. I had seen him in my dreams.
‘Matrix?’
I opened my eyes again and looked at Angus. ‘He’s in his special place,’ I said.
Angus looked bewildered. ‘What special place?’
‘I know where he is,’ I said.
I could see the thought pass through his mind – to deny me, to argue and to rationalise – but it was very brief. He said nothing; instead, he nodded and followed me.
I found the secret door easily. As I said, I knew the man and I understood how his mind worked – his beautiful but damaged mind. The door was easily unlocked; a standard scanning device released the catch. I entered the room. It was an uncomplicated space, perfectly proportioned and designed. It was full of handsome furniture and clever art, yet it remained uncluttered. It was stunning in its simplicity.
Harrison sat at a long white desk. He rose to his feet as I entered. He held a gun in his hand. It was pointing at me. I paused, scrutinising him carefully – a man who was my enemy, yet still a man. At some time in his young life a mother must have held him, loved him and guarded his well-being. I was looking at him for the first time; I took in his form and then I knew the truth.
‘You’re a bigger fool than I thought,’ he said with a smile. His voice was quiet but clear, just as I remembered it. ‘You come to me alone and unarmed. You’re a fool and those who are supposed to protect you are bigger fools.’ I moved across his room. The gun was still pointing at me. ‘How did you know where to find me?’ he asked, clearly puzzled. ‘The door to this part of the house is hidden. How did you find it?’
‘I knew you’d be in your special place,’ I said.
He still looked puzzled. ‘How did you know about my special place?’ For a moment, his voice was tinged with fear. No one knew the name he had given to these rooms. It was his own private name, hidden in his own secret mind. How could I know? Then I saw his logical mind push the fear away, reason the dread into submission. He held the gun firm and held my gaze with a fierce determination. Yet, I knew he was afraid. ‘I am going to kill you, beast!’ he said.
‘I don’t think so,’ I replied.
‘Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t?’
‘I can give you three.’
‘Sure you can,’ he sneered. ‘What might they be?’
‘The three men standing around you,’ I said.
He spun round only to come face-to-face with the General. The gun was snatched out of his hand. Gray had come up on his other side and grabbed the left hand. He pulled it down and quickly manacled both wrists together behind his back. Phaedo put a gun to the back of Harrison’s neck in case he should consider a struggle. He didn’t; I saw the look of defeat cross his face. His smile faded and his shoulders slumped.
I walked up to him
. He watched me approach with a look of fascinated horror. I was curious about this man who surrounded himself with such beauty. I stood in front of him and gazed into his small brown eyes. I reached out and touched his chest, where his heart should have been, if he had had one. I seriously doubted its existence. Harrison flinched at my touch as if I had burnt him with my fingers. His look of fear had evolved into one of absolute terror. He stared into my eyes as if he truly believed I was the devil come to take his soul. I doubted if he had one of those either.
‘I’ve seen you in my dreams,’ I said. ‘I’ve wondered about you, the man with the quiet voice, a voice so hard, so devoid of humanity. I wondered what you must look like. I’ve never seen you before and yet still you were there in my dreams, just as you are now, standing before me, and I wondered whether you had a heart or a soul.’
I pressed my hand against his chest and felt him shudder. I sensed such horror, such dread. ‘I can feel your heart beat,’ I continued. ‘So you must have one lodged there somewhere, and I can see the terror in your eyes, so that must mean you have a soul. That makes you human, just like me.’
‘No!’ he shouted. ‘You’re not human; you’re a beast; you’re the beast with yellow eyes that comes into my dreams to terrorise me!’ The words had slipped out; I’m sure he had not intended them to. He would not want me to know his secret fear, his vulnerability.
‘They call me the Dream Catcher,’ I whispered, ‘the man who can walk into dreams and make them nightmares. I can steal sleep and throw your mind into a bottomless pit.’ I moved in closer. ‘Then I breathe into your face and take your soul.’
He turned pale.
‘I see into your heart and I understand your secrets,’ I continued. ‘You have a shrivelled black heart. Your mother failed to suckle you as I child, and your heart all but died within you.’
He turned even paler as I touched the raw truth.
So I continued to read his heart to him. ‘From the moment of your awakening, you have known nothing but rejection from those who should have nurtured you. You have known nothing but sorrow from those who should have given you joy and you have known nothing but neglect from those who should have given you love. To be born into a cold unfeeling world where you were despised for who you were and what you were must have been a terrible thing.’ I paused; I had not yet finished. I had one more truth to give him, one more secret I would take from him.
I leant in close and whispered in his ear. I whispered to him his fortune in seven simple words and he heard me with growing terror and alarm ... and then he screamed.
He didn’t stop screaming as they pulled him away.
‘What did you say to him?’ asked Phaedo, standing in the beautiful room, still holding his gun, with a look of confusion on his face.
I smiled. ‘I reminded him about his secret,’ I said. ‘The Dream Catcher has taken his heart out and read it back to him.’
‘But what is his secret?’ asked the General.
‘That,’ I said, ‘is a secret.’
Chapter 100
The defining characteristic of the revolution was the coming together of the different factions in our society. Suddenly, race, religion and colour seemed no longer to matter. The civil unrest was created and sustained by young and old, black and white, Muslim and Jew. They marched, fought and held up my banners side by side. They reached out and grasped each other by the hand because, for that brief moment at least, they realised that they had more in common than that which divided them: in the end they were human and, more important still, humans at risk.
They were like all of us, simply wishing to live their lives in peace, free from pain and fear, and they knew that this was no longer something they could take for granted. This was something that someone somewhere had decided was no longer theirs by right. They came out onto the streets to protest and show their loyalty to Matrix and the Brotherhood because, in the end, they were afraid.
**********************
‘Prime Minister?’
‘What is it?’
‘The President, sir.’
‘Which one this time?’ The voice was tired and wary.
‘The United States, sir.’
Hughes sighed. ‘What, again? Does he think things have changed so much in two hours?’
‘I expect he hopes so, sir.’
‘Put him on screen and leave me.’
‘Yes, sir.’
The screen sprang into life. The president’s dour, pasty face appeared before him. ‘Anything to report, Mr Hughes?’ No preamble; he was not a man known for his subtlety.
‘We are still considering our options, sir.’
‘I understand we have failed to take down this Cyclops.’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘I gave you some of my best men for that and I appear to have lost some of them as well.’
‘Yes, sir. It was a siege situation I understand. Always difficult but ...’
‘I understand a deal has been struck.’
‘We are considering ...’
‘Talk to the terrorists. Stop this mess. I have calls from all over Europe; people are panicking that this might spread.’
Tell me about it thought Hughes. ‘Really, sir, I’m sorry to hear that,’ he said.
‘They say you’re refusing to speak to them now.’
‘I am trying to deal with a difficult situation ...’
‘You’ve lost control, man! The terrorists are running things by the sounds of it. They have divided your police and armed services, they threaten to empty your jails and I hear there is looting, rioting and food shortages. To make matters worse, it’s you they blame, not this Matrix creature!’
‘The fact is ...’
‘The fact is, they’ve taken the popular vote. You’ve allowed Section Twenty-six to become a moral issue and you’ve been wrong footed. Would you like some advice?’
He did not. He wanted him to go away. ‘Thank you, sir, I would appreciate it,’ he said.
‘Talk to Matrix, agree to his terms and end this now.’
‘But, sir, these are terrorists!’
‘I didn’t say you had to honour the agreement. Once you’ve regained control you can do more or less what you want.’
‘The people would never agree to that.’
‘Do you play chess?’
The question seemed irrelevant. ‘No, sir.’
‘I understand that this Matrix is a chess player.’
‘I’m not sure ...’
‘He’s got you in checkmate. At least, he thinks he has. Talk to him, agree to his demands and then ... bury him.’
**********************
3 April 2040, 5pm
‘Where are we going?’ Ollie was treading carefully through the derelict building.
‘To a mosque.’
‘What’s that?’
‘A holy place.’
‘Why are you taking me to a holy place?’ She pronounced it carefully, unconsciously mimicking the Scottish accent.
Euan smiled. ‘The people there are looking after discards and wounded soldiers of Bràithreachas.
‘Is it true? Are you really fighting for us?’
‘Aye, it’s true.’
‘Why do you say aye instead of yes?’
‘Why do you ask so many questions?’
She was silent for a while as they concentrated on working their way past gaping holes and the cracked and broken staircase. They descended down through the crumbling house until eventually they emerged into the open air and the busy street.
She paused at the sight. She was faced with a world of movement and commotion, a world created out of chaos and full of stir and upheaval.
People were everywhere: in the streets, spilling out of shops and eating places and hanging out of upstairs windows yelling out orders, requests or abuse at each other. The pavements bustled with activity. She saw groups gathered in lively, and sometimes aggressive, debate. Others were huddled around campfires, preparing food
, eating or drinking. They were sprawled on upturned boxes or crates or they were leaning on motorbikes.
She could smell food cooking, wood burning and fumes, and the noise was loud and confusing. Various bits of music from the open windows competed with each other and the clamour of the crowds. She suddenly felt an impulse to run, to hide, to find safety. She had spent days avoiding this very scene.
Euan sensed her hesitation. He had no intention of losing her now. He held out his hand. She looked at it. ‘Trust me,’ he whispered. It was a huge act of faith. The greatest leap she had ever had to make in her short life, given what had happened to her, what had been done to her. It was the bravest thing she had ever done; she placed her hand in his and he grasped it. Together they walked down the street.
‘So, why are you fighting for us?’ she asked.
He sighed.
**********************
The halls and mosques were filling up fast with the rescued discards and our wounded soldiers. Some of the injuries sustained required more than we could cope with, even with experienced medics. At this time in the revolution, if you walked through any of our sanctuaries you would have seen something desperate but also rather wonderful. You would have seen men and women working to the point of exhaustion to save the lives of people the world had, until now, decided did not deserve to live.
But we had reached breaking point. We could not carry on. People were dying because we couldn’t give them the medical attention they needed.
It was at this point that the hospitals opened up their doors to us. I have a debt of gratitude to pay to a doctor who argued a case so forcefully he could not be ignored. He cannot be named, but he knows I speak of him, and he knows that, because of what he did, many people survived the revolution who would otherwise have died.
**********************
They walked through the busy crowds towards a group of people who sat apart from the tumult that surrounded them. A group of people who were all armed and looked something like Euan: the same black clothes, the same bands around their arms, the same grim expressions. They were sitting for the most part next to or astride their motorbikes. Banners of the bruised body daubed with red paint hung nearby. The crowds in the street treated them with respect, perhaps even fear.
The Dream Catcher Diaries Page 55
