by Mark Oliver
And then he got to work, before anything else started flashing green.
Chapter 17
"Wake up, Charlie. Wake up. You're in danger." Bei's terse calls pulled Charlie out of a deep, dreamless sleep. It took a moment to remember where he was and who the voice in his ear belonged to.
He snuck over to the bathroom, cautiously opened the door, slipped inside and sat on the shell-shaped, cushioned toilet. He mouthed the words silently, "I'm up." The ear shell picked up the words and instantly re-laid them to Bei.
"The Corporation have sent a team in to get you."
"What?"
"They're crossing through the desert as we speak. They'll be with you in ten minutes."
"Is this some trick to get me to complete the mission?"
"I'm watching them now through my binoculars. It's a Corporation hover. Your friend with the charming face is sat in the front seat."
A chill came over Charlie. She had found him. "What should I do?"
"Get the data and get out. I'll wait for you outside the palace wall."
"There isn't time."
"We need that data Charlie. The lives of millions depend on it."
"That's too much pressure," Charlie said. But it was no use. Bei had ended the conversation.
Charlie took a deep breath. It was now or never. He reached inside his mouth, pinched the fake tooth and pulled. The data tooth came away easily.
He wiped the chip against his robe, removing the saliva, and a piece of vegetable he had failed to notice earlier. Then he crept into the bedroom, the tooth tucked in his palm.
Lady Ori slept naked, the bed sheets bunched up at her feet. She lay on her side with her head resting on her hands. Her breasts rested on top of each other, squeezed together like two lumps of clay. Charlie stood there momentarily transfixed. He shook his head and told himself to get a grip. Now was not the time.
As carefully as possible, he climbed onto the bed, leaned over the sleeping woman, grabbed the computing device from the bedside table and returned to his side of the bed.
Propped up by pillows, he held the device up in front of him. In the dull light of the room, it shone darkly. To activate it he needed one of Lady Ori's hands.
He looked down at his sleeping mistress. Her hands lay buried under a mass of hair. There was no way Charlie could pull them out without waking her. He had to be smart. What would Bei do? he asked himself.
Then he remembered a game he and his foster kid roommates had played during his year in Gloucester. It involved shoplifted shaving foam, a sleeping victim and tickling. Charlie reached towards Lady Ori's face and, slowly, tickled her nose. At first she just moaned. But after the fourth tickle, she rolled onto her back, and still sleeping, scratched at her nose. Once satisfied, she let her hand drop beside her. It lay palm up, at her side.
Charlie held the device over the hand and lowered it until its smooth blue-black surface touched her skin. The device activated instantly. Charlie pulled it away and fearing its flashing lights might have awoken Lady Ori, slid it under his pillow. He took ten deep breaths and when Lady Ori failed to awaken, he drew it out.
He removed the data tooth from his palm and hovered it above the device, unsure of the exact location to attach it to. The slab had nothing resembling a USB drive. He moved it over the device, until finally it connected, magnet like, to its top edge.
Flashing symbols and words fell down the screen in a torrent. Thanks to Brother Yojim's implant it took Charlie barely a few seconds to decipher them. It seemed the device had immediately uploaded the data and was asking Charlie whether he needed it unencrypted. He tapped out a yes and the device initiated the process.
Five minutes later, Charlie was still waiting for the device to finish. His heart thumped so fast he had trouble breathing and it felt as if a couple of African drummers had climbed into his ear canals. The silky fabric of his pyjama robes dripped with sweat. He tried breathing deeply, but his pulse continued to race. Come on, he pleaded, for the second time that night.
Charlie stiffened. From behind the bedroom door, came the sound of heavy footsteps. The crack of light shining under the door showed the shadow of a guard waiting.
Charlie looked at the device. He had no idea how long the process had left. He started counted his breaths to give his terrified mind something to do.
Charlie reached eleven and still the shadow had not knocked on the door. The guard must be working up his courage to wake Lady Ori up, he thought. She hated being disturbed at night and was quick to punish those who woke her without good cause.
The scent and noise of a foreign presence aroused the desert stalkers from their slumber. They sniffed the air and growled. Charlie knew it was only a matter of seconds before the messenger outside or the beasts inside roused Lady Ori.
Charlie took hold of the data tooth. Screw Bei, he thought. What good is his help if I'm already dead? But just as he was about to remove it, the screen showed that the unencrypting process had finished. The device asked Charlie if he wanted to download it. With all his heart he tapped yes.
The guard knocking the door, Ius and Debel barking, Lady Ori waking and Charlie pulling his finger out of his mouth - all these things were virtually inseparable in time. Charlie closed his eyes, and pretended to sleep, safe in the knowledge the device rested back on the bedside table.
"Debel, Ius," Lady Ori called, climbing out of bed. "Silence." The beasts went quiet and took their place beside their mistress. She opened the door and demanded the guard explain what he was doing calling on her at this time of night.
"I deeply apologise for waking you, Ma'am," he said, his head bowed low. "Four Corporation employees have arrived. Their leader, a silver by the name of Executive Ko, has requested an immediate audience with your Ladyship."
So Bei was telling the truth, Charlie thought. He had quietly hoped that Bei had been tricking him into action.
"At this time of night? Those silvers know nothing of decorum."
The guard said nothing.
"Did they say what this is about?"
"No, Ma'am. They will only convey their message to you in person."
Lady Ori grunted. "Have them meet me in my court in five minutes. Send two guards up here to escort the concubine back to the harem."
The guard rushed away, and Lady Ori slammed the door. "Damn those Corporation swine. They think they can boss me around."
Charlie was not sure if she were talking to herself or to him, so he said nothing.
"I see you're up," she said, and added, "I won't be needing you in the morning. Return to the harem when the guards arrive." Then she stormed through a side door, and into her dressing room. Debel and Isu trotted out behind her.
This is it, Charlie thought, as the door swung shut behind the beasts. He threw off the sheets and made straight for the door, blessing the carpeted floor muffling his footsteps.
At this time of night, the corridors were mostly empty. But Charlie took no risks. He crept along the walls, keeping track of every nook, cranny and statue he passed. Twice he heard footsteps approaching and had to sprint back to hide behind a well-hung, heavily muscled statue. There he waited, thankful that Lady Ori liked her effigies largely proportioned, while the guards passed by.
He slipped like a burglar towards Lady Ori's court, and the palace garden beyond it. From there the lift would take him to his parked rocket ride. In a few minutes, he had almost reached the court.
With the prospect of freedom tantalisingly close, he threw caution to the wind and sprinted at full place around a corner. He ran straight into the first of three guards approaching the turn from the other side.
The guard bounced off Charlie's shoulder, smashing into his colleague behind him, knocking him off balance. The two men tumbled to the floor in a heap. The third guard looked at Charlie, too stunned to speak.
"Sorry," Charlie said, and bolted in the opposite direction. But then he stopped, cursing his stupidity. The guards had walkie-talkies. They were pr
obably already calling Lady Ori. And once she activated his bracelets he was done for.
He spun on the spot and raced back.
The third guard had his walkie-talkie in his hand, poised to speak into it. Behind him, the two others climbed to their feet, muttering in annoyance. Charlie lined up the guard, dropped his shoulder, and surged into him, hitting him hard and low. His shoulder shuddered with the impact. Driving forwards, Charlie reached between the guard's legs and grabbed the back of his shirt. Then with a roar, Charlie straightened his legs, lifting the guard of his feet. He twisted and, turning the body with his shoulder, drove the guard head first into the men behind him.
Charlie heaved himself off the crumpled guard and onto his feet. The guards, squirming on the floor, reached for the handguns clipped to their belts. Charlie stamped on their arms before they could draw and kicked the weapons free.
He reached down, and picked up one of the guns. But, it had been synched to the guard's handprint. It was useless. He threw it down.
The guards stared up at him, their eyes flashing, their chins held high in defiance. Charlie raised his arms up for balance. And then, as if taking three dropkicks in quick succession, he kicked the raised chins hard and smooth, following through as he had been taught to as a youngster.
It hurt like hell, but when he was done, all three guards lay unconscious at his feet.
"You there," called a voice from behind.
Charlie turned.
Square Head was standing at the end of the corridor. He took one look at Charlie and another at his defeated men. "Think you've got enough to take me, boy?" he said, placing his rifle on the floor, and pulling a two-foot long metal truncheon from behind his back.
Charlie sized the big man up. In the last four years playing rugby in the valleys, he had tackled his fair share eighteen-stone moustached monsters. Square Head, though, looked to be pushing twenty-five stone and had a belly filled with pure muscle, rather than Brains bitter and chips. And his tree trunk legs looked impossible to uproot. Any attempt at a tackle, would leave Charlie broken shouldered and unconscious. He was a good tackler, but not that good.
No, he thought, clenching his fist tight, this was a job for the robundee blade. The implanted metal slid out the back of his hand in one smooth and satisfying action.
The thought of cutting someone, slicing through their flesh and leaving them mutilated, made Charlie sick. But it was either that, or getting his face pulverised. I'll only wound him, he promised himself, and jogged towards the guard.
As he got closer, Charlie picked up the pace, hoping to use his speed to his advantage. The adrenalin pulsing through him masked the mounting pain in his foot. He ran with his blade hand out to his side samurai style. Seeing the metal out of the corner of his eyes filled him much needed confidence.
Square Head waddled towards him, grinning. His short legs hampered his speed and the big man looked clumsy. But his clenched fist looked like cannon ball and his truncheon was as fat as a man's calf.
Charlie made up his mind to go for the weapon hand first, slicing off the guard's fingers and rendering him impotent. Then, with the guard stunned from his disfigurement, he would grab the weapon and knock him out with a hard blow to the back of the neck. Simple. All he needed to do was get the big man off balance and, fortunately, sending great lumps of men the wrong way was his forte. He had spent every Saturday for the last four winters doing exactly that.
When he got within five metres of his enemy, Charlie shimmied left and then right and then left again, shaking his hips and rolling his shoulders like a bullfighting ballerina. The sidestep worked like a charm, the sudden movement catching Square Head off in two minds, making him check his run. In confusion, he swiped with his truncheon, sailing through the air. The weapon swung harmlessly passed Charlie's shoulder.
Charlie sized the moment and lashed out with his blade.
He knew the blade was sharp, but when it slipped through Square Head's arm he felt no connection at all, not even a tremble. As he turned, following the arc of his swing, he glanced at his blade, expecting to see it coated with blood. But instead of blood, he saw a familiar bright green glow. To his exasperation, his arm had once again become of a freakish green shadow limb. Not now, he thought, of all times, not now.
Square Head recovered and when he saw the glowing arm, hanging uselessly at Charlie's side, he smiled. "Well, well, well," he said. "Very interesting."
Charlie clenched his left fist and aimed a punch at the guard's smirking face. Square Head caught the punch in a giant paw, and yanked hard. Charlie fell to his knees before him. The brute eyed Charlie, grinning while he crushed his hand. His eyes glittered. "I'll show you what happens to slaves that run."
He let go of Charlie and wrapped both hands around the base of the club. He twisted his body, ready to let swing with all his weight. Despite the obvious uselessness of his right arm, Charlie lifted his hands over his face and brought his elbows in to protect his chest. He took a deep breath, and braced for the pain.
Square Head roared as he brought the truncheon down onto Charlie's shoulder. But instead of smashing bone, the weapon passed straight through him. It ricocheted off the corridor wall, and sent Square Head sprawling to the floor. Charlie looked down in disbelief to find his whole body from neck to waist radiating green light.
Charlie sprung to his feet and as he did, the glow vanished, his body returning to its physical state in the blink of an eye. He wasted no time pondering the strange changes happening to his body. The metal club lay at his feet. He picked it up and, drawing on the hundreds of hours spent inside his school's cricket nets, swung it in a perfect arc, bringing its stubby end against the base of the guard's skull with a delightful crunch.
"Six," he called out, grinning with a mixture of relief and vengeance.
Square Head's massive, goldfish eyes rolled backwards into his head, and his great bulk crumpled.
Charlie jogged over to the other guards, ignoring the aches in his foot and fist. The guards were still out cold. Then he hurried up the corridor and into Lady Ori's court.
He had to stop himself from yelping with joy when he found the court deserted. Fifty metres away, through the glass doors, lay the palace garden and at its centre the lift down to his rocket ride and freedom.
He ran across the empty room, pumping his legs and arms. He was halfway towards the glass door when he heard voices coming from a side corridor. A giant painting of a mountain range hung to his right, its canvas reaching all the way to the floor. He changed direction and dived behind it.
From the voices and footsteps on the marble, he guessed a group of three or four had entered the room. The persistent growling, soft but menacing enough, told him one of them was Lady Ori, accompanied by her pets as always.
Then Charlie remembered. The meat. Every part of him tensed. The desert stalkers were bound to sniff his pocketful of choice cuts. He slid his hand down his side and reached inside his robe pocket. He relaxed. It was empty. He had finished off the stash he kept there.
"We know you have him here, Lady Ori. Hand him over to us immediately." The picture blocked his view, but Charlie knew the voice. It was one he would never forget.
Only a thin sheet of canvas separated him from Executive Ko. He pushed back against the wall. Each breath he took was a hurricane wind in his ears. He felt as exposed as a Twickenham streaker.
"You have no right to take what I have paid good money for." Lady Ori made no attempt to hide the annoyance in her voice.
"The Corporation has the right to do whatever it wishes," Ko replied. "This is a matter of planet security. If you refuse to cooperate, I have permission to exercise maximum force." Charlie heard the clicking of the woman's shuddering jaw and shivered at the memory of it.
"You have three soldiers," Lady Ori said, snorting. "I have an army of mercenaries at my beck and call."
"So call them," Ko said with a sneer in her voice. "Let's see what happens."
For a long
moment, neither woman spoke. Bebel and Ius scratched their claws against the floor, pining at their mistress to give them the order to attack these intruders. Charlie hoped she would. That would provide the perfect distraction.
In the end it was a palace guard that broke the silence. "The new boy's escaped, Ma'am."
"Lock down the building," Lady Ori.
Charlie had to move now. Any moment Lady Ori would activate his bracelets. He shot a glance around the edge of the curtain. Lady Ori, Executive Ko, three fringes and the guard who had dropped him in it, stood about twenty metres away. They had their backs to him. Charlie made for the glass exit, shuffling crab-like along the wall, using the hanging paintings for cover.
Ius and Debel sensed the movement and barked. They claws scraped the floor as they raced towards him.
"Shit, shit, shit," Charlie muttered. He flung the curtain away and sprinted towards the glass doors. He slammed into them. But the palace staff had locked them for the night. He bounced backwards, rattling the glass.
The desert stalkers were at his feet, yelping with pleasure. They still took him for a friend.
Beyond them, led by Ko, the aliens jogged towards him, rifles raised. Lady Ori followed behind. She looked more disappointed than angry. The control bracelet glittered on her wrist.
Charlie clenched his right hand and released the hidden blade. He slammed his first into the door. The glass shattered into a hundred jagged pieces. Charlie dived away, covering his face with his hands, the blade instantly slotting back into his skin. A waterfall of shards landed at his feet, just missing his toes.
He got up. A carpet of glass lay between him and the elevator. He looked at his bare feet. Fuck it, he thought.
But before he could race across it, a fierce pain rolled up and down his arms. He dropped to his knees, screaming. It felt as if someone was rubbing burning barbed wire back and forth across his forearms.
Lady Ori stood over him, shaking her head. Then she reached for the bracelet and Charlie's pain ended. "Take him. I've no need for ungrateful little boys, no matter how beautiful." Then she stormed away trailing her two pets and the palace guard.
