by Philip Henry
The plinth stopped and the doors opened. All four of them fell out, fighting. The controller got up from his computer and ran to the wall where he hit a large red button. Alarms started going off all over the island.
Now that she could see, Nicholl kicked as hard as she could at the guard’s most sensitive area. He fell to the ground, vomiting. She grabbed the other guard that was fighting with Eileen from behind and introduced his face to the nearest wall. He collapsed.
Eileen pulled at the harpoon through her stomach. ‘Get this fuckin’ thing out of me!’
‘Hold on, hold on.’ Nicholl examined the cable and saw it was attached to the harpoon by something similar to a climber’s hook. She unscrewed the clip and then unhooked it. She walked to the front of Eileen. ‘OK, it’s going to have to come out the front.’
Nicholl took hold of the end of the harpoon and put one foot on Eileen’s stomach just below the wound.
Eileen nodded and swallowed. ‘OK, on three. One…’
Nicholl yanked the harpoon out of her stomach in one fast movement.
Eileen grabbed the bleeding hole. ‘Ow, you bitch,’ she said through clenched teeth.
‘Sorry, honey, we didn’t have time to count to three.’ Nicholl dropped the harpoon and looked around the huge underground room. The huge rock walls rose up on all sides, the blackness of their surface defying the fluorescent lights hanging everywhere. It looked like a small warehouse. Behind her were hundreds of boxes filled with god-knows-what. In front of her was a bank of about thirty monitors, showing the feeds from the cameras all over the island. A few desks and computers formed a rough semi-circle before them. The operator who had pushed the alarm button still stood frozen to that spot. His eyes were wide, watching the two women. Nicholl walked towards him and he looked the other way (hoping she wouldn’t notice him?).
Nicholl stopped face to face with him. ‘OK, what’s your… shut that fuckin’ alarm off, will you?’
The operator twisted the button he had just pressed and it popped out again. The alarm ceased.
‘Thank you. Now, what’s your name?’
‘Operator four.’
‘It’s no wonder you ended up in a job like this if your parents called you that.’
‘They’re still coming. Even if I shut off the alarm, they’ll still be coming.’
Nicholl nodded. ‘Yeah, I thought so. How long before they get here?’
‘I don’t know. This has never happened before.’
‘OK, four, I want to know how to get that collar off her neck.’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Do I have to grind your nuts like I did with the other guy?’
‘I really don’t know. They put that thing on at HQ. Please don’t squash my nuts.’
‘OK, I believe you; you can hold on to your nuts.’
Operator four grabbed his balls with both hands and gave a deep sigh of relief.
‘I didn’t mean that literally, four. How do we get out of here?’
‘I can send you back up on the plinth or you can take the back exit.’ He nodded to a large set of metal double doors.
Nicholl ran over and hit the release. The doors parted and she saw a small beach outside. There were high rocks on both sides trailing out into the sea. A secluded cove the residents wouldn’t be able to get to very easily. Two jet-skis sat on the sand. ‘Eileen, come on.’ Nicholl pulled the transmitter from her pocket and stuck it in her ear. ‘Chloe, is everyone on board?’
‘Yes, where the hell are you?’
‘Get going, we’ll catch you up.’
‘But…? How…? Are you sure?’
‘Yes, get going.’ She took the transmitter out of her ear and put it back in her pocket. She and Eileen walked out onto the sand and started pushing one of the jet-skis towards the water. They turned at the sound of the doors closing behind them. Operator four stood there smiling. Just before the doors closed he said, ‘Give my regards to the perimeter guards.’ The doors slammed shut.
Nicholl and Eileen turned and saw two men standing up on the rocks. They opened fire and the two women dove to either side, finding shelter behind rocks. The jet-ski was pulverised with gunfire.
Nicholl looked at the other jet-ski. They still had a chance. She could hear Chloe’s boat gaining speed somewhere in the distance. The gunfire paused as the guards reloaded. Eileen flew from the safety of the rocks and slammed into one guard with her shoulder, then the other, knocking them both into the water. Nicholl was already pulling the other jet-ski towards the water.
The two of them heaved the jet-ski into the water. ‘Why are we bothering with this? I could just fly us out of here.’
‘You’re weak. You’ve lost a lot of blood. I don’t want you dropping me in the middle of the fuckin’ Atlantic.’
Eileen guessed the unsaid part of that answer was: Plus, your head might explode at any minute, then where would I be? She said nothing and got on the jet-ski behind Nicholl. She brought it to life and they raced out of the cove and into the open sea.
Chloe saw the jet-ski approaching and stopped. Nicholl pulled alongside and she and Eileen climbed up the ladder and on board. Everyone stood shivering in wet clothes. They were all staring at Eileen.
Nicholl broke the silence. ‘Where’s Dave?’
‘I’m here.’
Nicholl found Dave sitting in the aft fiddling at some electronic device with a screwdriver. ‘Dave…’
Dave held up his screwdriver for a second to silence her then continued doing whatever he was doing. He mumbled to himself, ‘First you drag me all the way out here and make me float in the middle of nowhere all day with nothing to do but play I Spy.’ He raised his head and glanced at her, still twisting and screwing. ‘And let me tell you, there wasn’t a whole hell of a lot to spy. Then you tell me I’ll have to disarm this high-tech collar thing without any of my tools. Then we get there and the girl with the collar doesn’t even show. She’s the last to leave of course…’
‘Sorry,’ Eileen said quietly.
‘You expect miracles and give me nothing to work with.’ The device in Dave’s hand came to life and a light started pulsing on it. ‘And still I deliver.’ Dave got to his feet and walked over to Eileen, offering her the device.
Eileen looked at Nicholl first, then at Dave. ‘Thank you. What is this?’
‘Your collar explodes if you get beyond two-hundred yards of a perimeter marker. You weren’t there so I couldn’t disarm your collar. So I took a perimeter marker and hooked it up to this battery. You might want to keep that close. At least until I get back to my tools.’
Eileen smiled and hugged Dave. She dropped the perimeter marker into her pocket and zipped it shut.
‘Sorry about being a bit ratty with you,’ Dave said to Nicholl. ‘It’s been a really long day and I could desperately use a doobie.’
Nicholl smiled and patted his shoulder as she passed him. ‘Don’t worry about it, Dave. You’re a star.’ She headed for the cabin.
Dave exhaled. Joshua approached him. ‘Hello, Dave, is it?’
‘That’s right.’
‘I just wanted to thank you.’ Joshua opened his jacket and took out a water-proof bag full of joints.
‘My man!’ Dave hugged him and they walked off together.
Nicholl walked in to the cabin and greeted Chloe and Claire. ‘OK, let’s go.’
‘Has Dave finished his little project?’ Claire asked.
‘Yeah.’ Nicholl laughed and shook her head. ‘That guy’s a genius.’
‘Yes he is.’ Chloe brought the boat to life and took off at full speed.
‘How long will it take us to get back?’
Chloe didn’t answer. She was staring out the window, dead ahead. Claire looked, too. Nicholl stepped forward and followed their gaze. They all saw the helicopter heading straight towards them.
‘Shit.’
‘Kill the running lights,’ Chloe shouted. Claire turned and flipped a switch. The helicopter turned on it
s spotlight and they were all momentarily blinded. The helicopter opened fire and bullets ripped up the sea on all sides of them. Chloe brought the boat to a full-stop. ‘That was a warning, we won’t get another one.’
Chloe charged past Nicholl and out onto the deck. ‘Where’s the vampire?’
Eileen stepped forward. ‘That’s me.’
Chloe looked around. ‘Any of you guys handy with your fists?’
A tall man in his forties stepped forward. He looked like he was still in good shape. ‘Carson. Ministry boxing champion three years running.’
‘Great. You’ll do. The rest of you, put your hands up.’
The boat had stopped. The helicopter pilot manoeuvred closer. They were all standing on deck with their hands up. ‘OK, I think they’re surrendering. Stand down the weapons.’ The two men in the back obeyed, put the safety catches on and sat back. Eileen threw Carson into the back of the helicopter and disappeared. The pilot turned and saw his two men getting thumped by a guy who looked twice their age.
The pilot’s door opened and Chloe was there being held by Eileen. Chloe sprayed mace into his face. The pilot screamed and put his hands to his stinging eyes. Chloe reached in and undid his safety harness. The helicopter banked left, then right as the pilot struggled. Chloe grabbed him and pulled him out. He dropped into the sea, which was a relief for his eyes if nothing else. Chloe climbed into the pilot’s seat and turned around. She saw Carson sitting in the back by himself, smiling.
‘What sort of pussies is the Ministry churning out these days?’
Chloe laughed and tuned the radio to her boat’s frequency. ‘Claire, are you there?’
‘Right where you left me.’
‘Think you can handle my boat?’
‘No problem, lead the way.’
The helicopter flew overhead to the delighted screams of the freed prisoners. Claire started the boat and followed it into the darkness.
The pilot and his two men were left treading water, screaming for the boat to come back. When it had disappeared into the distance they stared at each other.
The pilot tried to sound confident. ‘OK, everyone huddle together. We’ll need our combined body heat to…’ He looked at his men and they all knew the same truth.
‘It’s been a pleasure serving with you, sir.’
‘Yes.’
‘Thank you, lads.’ The pilot winced. ‘Er, listen, I don’t feel right going to my grave without telling you that I slept with both your wives.’
‘What?’
‘You bastard!’
He turned to one of them. ‘And your sister.’ He turned to the other. ‘And your mother.’
The two men looked at their superior, open-mouthed.
‘What a complete bastard.’ The three men turned and saw Eileen sitting on the jet-ski. ‘I think you guys have a lot to talk about when you get back.’ She patted the jet-ski and pointed. ‘There’s plenty of fuel and the island’s that way.’ She flew into the air, smiled at them, then took off after the boat.
intruders
The Master watched Tom and Sarah through the window. Their bodies were almost glowing in the wake of their exorcised virginity. A simple pleasure long-forgotten to the Master. They lay in each other’s arms, blissfully smiling in silence. Each holding back everything they wanted to say for fear that it broke some ‘law of cool’ – a phrase from Sarah’s mind. She had friends who had lost their virginity before her and they all said not to come on too strong afterwards because boys didn’t like it. You had to be aloof no matter how much you wanted to scream your love from every rooftop. It wasn’t the done thing. The done thing was to say little. One of her friends had offered the advice: ‘If you have to say anything, compliment him on the size of his thing, no matter what size it is. It’s the one thing that it’s never wrong to say.’ There was also some debate about how long to wait before calling him. Two days seemed the absolute minimum. Sarah thought, under the circumstances, these rules shouldn’t apply to her and Tom. This was war. Either one, or both, of them could die tonight. Wasn’t it better to say everything just in case? She glanced at Tom out of the corner of her eye for a sign that he was thinking the same thing.
The Master changed his focus and concentrated on the boy’s thoughts.
Just like Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor in The Terminator, Tom thought. They only get one night together because he dies in the big fight at the end. If someone were writing this, that’s what they’d do. They’d let us have sex once, just to make my death hurt her more. And Sarah – ooh, there’s a spooky coincidence – will love me forever in a quiet, tortured way. Of course, another writer might consider losing my virginity as the transition into manhood, and that I need to be a man in order to face my destiny. Do I feel more like a man? Yes, I think I do. That last time was pretty special. If we had more time to practise, I’m pretty sure I could get our minute-count into double figures.
Sarah’s phone rang, distracting all three of them. The Master listened intently but could only hear Sarah’s responses.
Sarah hung up and turned to Tom. ‘That’s the bat-signal. Everyone meet at Chloe’s.’ Sarah started to slide out from under the duvet and Tom stopped her.
‘Sarah, I really love you.’
Sarah shook her head slightly. ‘Don’t say goodbye, Tom.’
Tom looked into her watering eyes. ‘I’m not. I’m saying I love you.’
She smiled. ‘That’s OK, then. I love you, too.’
They kissed. Sarah got out of bed and started pulling on her clothes.
‘Do I have time for a wash?’
‘If you’re quick,’ Sarah said, hopping out of the bedroom pulling a sock on.
The fire had gone out in the living room. She raked the last heat from the embers with the poker. There was a knock at the door.
She got up and answered it.
The Master stood before her.
‘Oh, it’s you.’ She paused. ‘You’d better come in.’
‘Thanks.’ The Master walked into the living room.
‘I’ve been trying to contact you for days,’ Sarah said. ‘I was just about to put the kettle on, do you want a cup?’
‘No thanks,’ the Master said. ‘Are you heading out soon?’
Sarah nodded. ‘Tonight’s the big night. The Daves think they’ve come up with something, out at Mussenden Temple.’
‘A weapon?’
‘Yeah, maybe.’ Sarah hung her head. ‘Sorry. I’m avoiding the subject. Look, there’s no easy way to say this…’
Tom walked out of the bedroom pulling a T-shirt over his head.
Sarah walked over and hooked her arm around him for support. ‘Tom, this is Alec. Mum’s boyfriend. I told you about him. He’s been away on business in Eastern Europe. I’ve been trying to call him to tell him…’ Sarah dropped her head.
Tom stared at him. Something was off about this guy. Something not quite right. Instinctively, Tom glanced around for his sword. He couldn’t see it. Was it still sitting on the Harley?
‘Thing is…’ Sarah started, gathering her courage.
‘Don’t waste your tears, Sarah. He already knows. Who the fuck are you?’
The Master smiled. ‘The boy’s instincts are better than yours,’ he said to Sarah. ‘Not as easy to fool as you and your gullible mother. That is unusual. Maybe you are the chosen one after all.’
Sarah was glancing back and forth between the two of them, confused.
‘I said, who the fuck are you?’
‘Don’t try to scare me with fake bravado, boy. I’ve seen inside your head and your heart. I see the fear that you hide from everyone, even her.’ He smiled at Sarah, then looked them both up and down. ‘So this is the competition? Forgive me if I don’t go weak at the knees. I’ve been around long enough to see stronger and braver warriors than you die by my hand.’
Sarah held tighter to Tom. ‘You’re the leader, the one the Vampyre Corpora speaks of. The first vampire.’
‘In the flesh,
so to speak.’
‘You’re the vampire from the Garden of Eden? The one God cursed to live in darkness?’ Tom asked.
‘The Bible.’ He shook his head and exhaled deeply. ‘Five thousand years of good intentions rewritten dozens of times by whoever is in power, edited another couple of dozen times by those with their own agenda. What’s left is nothing but an ancient tabloid filled with inaccuracy, exaggeration and invention. And the Vampyre Corpora suffers from the same failings. But you are right about one thing; I was there at the beginning. I know how it all began. I’ve walked this Earth longer than any other living creature and over the millennia only one thing has remained constant: mankind destroys all he touches. Well, no more. Your time is over.’
‘What are you going to do tonight?’ Tom asked.
The Master smiled. ‘That’s the funny thing! I don’t know any more than you what’s going to happen tonight. Prophecies, they’re all so vague. That’s why I’m not going to kill you now. You made it this far, which I didn’t expect, so maybe you’re part of how it all comes to pass. Maybe it’s one of you who does something, or fails to do something, and that starts off the whole vampire reign. And I wouldn’t want to fuck that up.’
‘It’s never going to happen,’ Sarah said, finding her strength in anger.
‘I think it is,’ the Master said. He took a couple of steps towards them. They pressed their backs against the wall. He looked into their eyes. ‘And I think, deep down inside, you know it’s going to happen, too. I smell defeat on you already.’
Tom looked into eyes that were as old as mankind and saw pure evil. Every trace of humanity was gone, deadened by thousands of years watching humans at their worst, from the darkness. A resident of the world, but never a part of it.
The Master turned and walked to the door. ‘When this is over… if you’re still alive, I will come looking for you. I have a connection to all my children. You’ve killed many of them and I’ve felt them die. That won’t go unpunished.’ He stared at them, showing the merest hint of the hatred he had inside. ‘I’ll see you on the battlefield, kiddies.’ He opened the door, laughed to himself and left.
