by Phillip Shaw
How did you survive?
I just turned and ran I didn't grab anything or look behind me. I knew the Governor would be at the bar as usual but I didn't look back. I panicked and tried to save my own skin. I'm not proud of it but I am still here to talk to you while others aren't.
The rest of the statement went into more intricate detail about the guests in her vicinity and Markus needed to do some analysis himself. Handing the statement to AVA he left the body and went to where the origin of the fire had begun.
‘Something is different from the events at the wrestling arena.'
‘In what way Stent? You and your partner were there I have only been handed the file.'
‘Well at the arena there was the chance to kill all those people. You must have seen the footage? The group in the ring that carried it out announced themselves as some kind of freedom fighters. I can't see them being involved here.'
‘Yet the coincidence of a body found in exactly the same way at the scene doesn't bother you?'
‘We may have new information on that. Ava and I were at a bar where the serial killer was believed to be. We viewed footage of him, he seems to favour disguise.'
‘That's new information to me. So you're saying that the two events aren't connected?'
‘I don't believe so. We had just eliminated the suspects that took the body to the arena. We thought they were just looking for a car.'
‘Could mean the real serial killer disposes of his bodies in different ways. Why then did he kill so publicly this time?'
‘Same as the rest, he thinks it's time to announce himself to the world. What better way to do it than kill a popular celebrity?'
Markus looked around the charred room; he couldn't help thinking that he liked the detective. Travelling with Ava had starved him of male company and the chance to verbally thrash out a theory without being a gentleman had invigorated him from his fatigue now they needed some kind of coherent lead.
Ava marched over and stood herself between the two men.
‘Look here, there's a list of people with backstage access. The security teams were actually doing a good job. Turns out they did a headcount every fifteen minutes right up until the fire.'
‘What are the trends?'
Ava pulled out her laptop and began imputing the data she had gathered. Feeling awkward at the lack of an instant answer Markus looked around the room. There were clear signs of ignition around the room. The fire had been started in a number of areas in each corner of the room. The back wall also had a serving hatch which led straight to the rear of the bar area in the green room. Markus was surprised how close the people backstage actually were to the stars but then they would never know as the mass of corridors wound up the entrance at the other end of the room.
Ava began muttering to herself, ‘Tolerance for five people over head count, never reaches more than three. Yes, that's it.'
‘What is?'
‘At these events, there is always going to be a tolerance for people that have sneaked backstage or been invited by one of the dignitaries. They still are closely monitored by security so there is no harm done. It usually allows some groupies to flaunt themselves on the men. If I run a check on the headcounts up until the fire it stays at a steady five until the last one. At the last count, we are down to two people not on the guest list. Run the list against the survivors and victims and we hopefully can eliminate them. That leaves us with three people.'
‘So if we check the security footage the last three people to leave could be the killer?'
‘Yes by basic deduction. Your fatigue is slowing your thoughts Stent.'
‘Run the checks, Ava.'
Thirty minutes passed while Markus and Adam thrashed out the profile of the killer from the victims found so far. Markus kept the secret of the latest one from his new companion. The members of the order were the only ones who could know that the victims were the puppets of adept in the area. There had been too many attacks since this all started. The order needed to retreat and regroup. We are at war.
Ava stood and presented the evidence. ‘We've been lucky. Three that aren't on the guest list are among the dead that leaves two. It also means that one of the list is missing with our other suspects.'
‘Find them, it's our only lead.'
Adam Grant stood and patted Ava on the shoulder. ‘I'm impressed. Much more than just a pretty young face. You do know that we would have found this eventually.'
‘Eventually, doesn't catch any killers.' Said Ava coldly.
Markus and Ava excused themselves and went back to the SUV. They needed the resources of the order. Ava hooked her laptop into the SUV‘s portal and the full power of the order was available to them. They watched as the outside car park camera's picked up the backstage door. Forwarding to the supposed timescale window of the fire and subsequent murder they watched as a man in a wheelchair and a woman left from the building. She helped him into the vehicle and seemed to turn to go back in before pausing. She then got into the vehicle and joined the man leaving.
‘Put a trace on that vehicle immediately.'
‘Wait there's another one.'
They watched as the first signs of smoke and fire came from the air vents at the side of the building. A tall man in overalls walked out. At the range of the cameras, the facial features weren't visible but his mannerisms were. He walked with the same gait as the man who had given their targets the vehicle back at the bar. The man went to his nondescript vehicle and removed his overalls. The vehicle disappeared into the night as the building behind became engulfed in flames.
‘Ava, we've got him. Get a trace on the vehicle and I will get on to Schultz.'
‘Markus there's a problem check your cell.'
Stent lifted his phone out of the pocket where he had ignored it since the airport the night before. There on the screen was an urgent communication. He tried to cancel it from the screen and dial out but it was no use. The message was hardwired into the screen.
ALL ORDER MEMBERS CHECK IN AND REPORT TO YOUR NEAREST BASE.
Markus had never seen a communication like this. What's going on now? I need to talk to Schultz, every time I come close to making a breakthrough something else happens to interrupt me.
In a rage he threw the phone down on the dash startling Ava, activating the voice commands he called Schultz.
No response.
‘Ava what the hell is going on. Schultz said he was to be contacted any time of the day. What's happening to the order?'
Ava shook her head and began hitting up the news channels but they were all restricted. The camera feed of last night's events disappeared and, replaced by the message, the private newswire and communications were all down and the emergency broadcast message was all that could be viewed. The entire Magister network and turned itself off and was ordering its' agents to return to base.
Markus felt the fear of the unknown for the first time in years. He hadn't felt so alone since he went for testing with Snapper. He hadn't felt so alone since leaving his family for his new one. He hadn't felt so alone since his partner and adept were killed. Markus Stent had never felt this alone.
49. Blackout
‘What do you mean there's no communication?' Miller screamed at his squad.
‘It's bad enough we are stuck out here at night with no bars, no women and nothing to take my mind of how backwards this country is. Keep trying it every ten minutes until we get a response. I don't want to be out here any longer than I have to be.'
Miller sat in the front of the mobile command unit and looked over the temple region in Bagan. Some of the men had wanted to speak with the locals but Miller had no interest in living in a mud hut. All he could think about was getting back to London and keeping an eye on Blain. He was the political player in this game and Blain hated being ostracised out here. He couldn't bear the inane chatter of his soldiers so he had drawn up patrol schedules for the temple. Even Miller had to admit that the grand temple itself was a majestic sigh
t. The fact that the other lesser temples were sinking slowly into the ground only served to make it even better. He thought he might commission a scale replica of it when he got home.
The engineer with him was still furiously sawing at the dials on the server in the back of the unit. Miller was used to technical glitches but never where the hard line to the order was concerned. It just didn't happen. As for the frozen message on their smartphones requesting they return to their nearest base Miller had ordered they pay no attention. The nearest base to them was China; by the time they packed up and moved on this glitch could be over.
‘All I need to do is establish a base then I can get home from this hellhole'
The engineer looked up at this latest outburst from Miller but said nothing, like everyone else they were used to his style of command already. Like a middle manager, he had gotten to his position not through hard work but by chance. The first of the patrols were due back soon and Miller awaited them eagerly. Nightfall in this region was duller than the daytime. At least, during the day, there were some tourists to look at.
Miller stood smoking a cigarette as the first two men appeared.
‘Well, what's it like out there? You took your time to walk around an old temple.'
‘I'm sorry agent Miller there's not a lot of light out there and without communication from HQ we don't know what equipment the government in this area know we have. The last thing we want is someone reporting to the local authorities that there is a full tactical team in the area. They haven't even let any media into the valley since the story broke in the west.'
‘Don't you think I know all that soldier? I meant you were slow because that's what you were. They must be training new agents to be fat and useless now. Not like my day. You're just lucky Schultz or that bastard Stent aren't here. They don't have to put up with crap like this.'
‘Sorry, sir we will be quicker on our next patrol.'
Miller smiled to himself. He loved making the younger recruits know their role in the order. There was no point in being friendly with them. Most would end up in a clerical role, only the best-stayed field agents and I'm the best.
‘Never mind that, did you see anything out there that suggests we are to stay in this country?'
‘No sir, everything is quiet. The locals seem to be staying away from the temple area and the tourists that sneak past the local authorities don't stay out at night.'
‘Good, as soon as the communication is back up I'll be telling Schultz that I'm out of here. You recruits can handle a simple policing mission without me.'
Over the next few hours, the remaining groups from the eighteen soldiers made their way through the mobile command checkpoint at intervals of twenty minutes until it was time for the first group to come again. Miller checked his standard issue military watch. Kinetically powered it was synced with the rest of his squad to the minute. The group hadn't returned.
Miller swore obscenely under his breath and cursed the poor training of the recruits. A simple mission to police a historic monument and those two fat lazy recruits can't even get it right. He waited a further twenty minutes and the second group appeared.
‘Where were those idiots that led you out?'
‘We didn't see them, sir, have you tried their radios?'
‘How dare you question me! Turn on your heels and go and look for those idiots. If the four of you aren't back here in the next hour I'm driving this command unit out to find you.'
He watched the two turn and scurry off into the darkness. This is all I need. Miller waited and kept his eyes on the watch as the minutes ticked by. Still no one came. Twenty minutes, forty minutes, one hour, one hour twenty all came and went and still no group arrived. Miller had smoked the remains of his cigarettes and started on the next pack. The engineer stopped his constant working and walked over.
‘Sir, have you tried the radio, where have they all gone?
Miller in his fury hadn't tried the radios, now he frantically began pinging the squad.
‘This is Miller, report in….'
‘Report in……'
‘Where are you?'
A strange crackle came back across the radio followed by the faintest noise of a scream. The blood ran cold in Miller's veins. Not now, not when I'm so close. The fear gripping Miller was one of being found out. All his stories of previous feats had been just that and now he was faced with a real threat without the backing of the omnipotent order.
The fear began to take root deep in his chest, the feeling of anxiety burned like he had swallowed petrol. It seeped through his whole nervous system until he realised that the cigarette in his mouth was now just hanging from the moisture on his lip.
‘Sir what are we going to do?'
Summoning whatever reserve of self-control he had left Miller turned to the engineer and beckoned them both into the front seat of the unit. Starting the engine the engineer set off into the darkness.
Miller by now a quivering mess demanded the xenon beams switched on. As his colleague obliged the temple shone in the distance like a beacon drawing them in. if the missing soldiers were to be found they would be on the dusty track around the side of the temple. Miller kept his eyes keen as they slowed to a crawl around the side. There was no need to look further. The first soldier was spotted against a tree. Miller motioned for the engineer to get out and he did so. Miller watched as he walked over to the motionless soldier, he got within metres before his weapon snapped up to his eye and he walked back to the door.
‘Sir, he's dead, his head… it's backwards.'
‘What do you mean man? Speak sense.'
‘His head has been snapped the wrong way.'
Miller sank back in his seat as the engineer got back in. The horror continued up the track until they had accounted for all his squad. Mutilated and deformed beyond recognition someone had killed them all and laid them out in a grisly trail leading to a hollow in the trees.
Miller had his pistol drawn but had no intention of leaving the vehicle.
‘You head in there and check it out; I'll cover you from here.'
The engineer's face was resigned to his fate as he stepped out of the safety of the vehicle. The hut in the trees was clearly a trap but he had no other choice. It was not the done thing to question orders from a field agent. Disregarding orders the engineer clicked on his night vision goggles and the whole surroundings were bathed in an out-worldly glow. Hearing his own heartbeat deep in his chest he recalled his training. Training designed to make his part of the best special force in the world. He had visions of rising to being a commanding field agent but they were all fading in his head now as the adrenaline of the here and now fuelled his movements. He reached the door of the hut and opened it slowly. A shape moved in front of him and he let off two quick shots with his silenced sidearm. The shape in front of him was gone and he checked his corners in the room, as he moved to put his back to a wall he was hit hard across the face by a huge dead weight.
Feeling the thud of the ground against his face he spun onto his back as he had been trained and searched again for his assailant. A vice like grip tightened on his gun arm and he watched as slowly his forearm began to bend unnaturally until the bones snapped and protruded through his skin. Falling into shock he felt the same grip on either side of his face and saw a hulking Asian man in front of him. He could see the veins on his face and on his arms tense and wondered why as the pressure built on his temples. The last noise he heard was the cracking of his skull as it perforated his brain.
Miller had given it fifteen minutes before trying the radio. The static on the other end gave him the predictable answer. He was alone. A member of an order that prided itself on supporting each other had failed him and now he was alone in a multi-million-pound vehicle that was his only home. Putting it into reverse he pressed the accelerator and began to swing the vehicle around. The thud of the tyres against something heavy was as unexpected as it was terrifying. Miller dared not get out and instead tried to drive s
traight ahead deeper into the forest, again the thudding and scratching sound of the tyres against wood greeted him and after a prolonged struggle he gave up sobbing as his head sank against the wheel.
Looking up he saw two figures walking towards the vehicle. Both stripped to the waist and smeared with mud across face and torsos the two men couldn't have been more different. One was a giant of a man that could easily have lifted the other beside him and carried him with one hand. The other was lithe and wiry but no less muscled. A crazed look was in both their eyes and both were blood-stained. Miller was frozen by their stare as they slowly approached the vehicle. Miller desperation setting in took aim with his weapon and opened the door, in his nervous state the bullets missed the men as they moved with great pace and scattered. Before he could put the window back up a large branch entered the window at Millers side. The window began jamming against the wood and Miller began to scream. The thinner man was still standing staring him down with that horrible smile as a huge hand grabbed him by his tactical vest. Miller was screaming so loudly as he was dragged through the window that he didn't notice the broken glass tear into his leg. He was flung onto the ground in front of the smaller man.
‘Why do you seek the battleground?'
Cowering and crying Miller tried to speak but his voice had left him. His bowels evacuated as he lay on the ground at the man's feet.
‘He is not permitted to enter.'
Miller looked up in time to see a shadow moving at speed against the xenon headlights. His last vision was blood hitting the light and basking him in a red haze. The haze faded to black.
