The Tattooed Man

by Alex Palmer

  ‘Did you kill that boy?’ Harrigan asked quickly.

  ‘Do you care?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Well, don’t. What about the people you saw on the net this morning? What about that girl they injected? Does anyone care about her?’

  ‘Does killing that boy bother you, Sam?’

  ‘There are times when you have to do things like that. He shouldn’t have been there. Danny wanted Jerome to see him, but it meant the boy saw us as well. There was nothing we could do about it. I made sure he didn’t realise what was going to happen. He was first. I didn’t give either of us time to think about it.’

  ‘You did it.’

  ‘I had to. He didn’t know. We’re not like these people. We don’t go after innocent civilians for the fun of it.’

  ‘You want this whole dirty story out in the open,’ Harrigan said. ‘But one way or the other, it’ll be swept under the carpet. You must know that. You’ll have done all this for nothing.’

  ‘No, Harrigan. That’s not what we’re doing. We’re not that naïve. Yes, it would be nice if it all got out there on the net. We’re putting out as much information as we can. There’s more to come, that’s why I wanted Elena’s log-on. But it’s not the only thing. It’s not even the main thing. It’s the future we’re thinking about. We’re doing what people like us should do. Protecting innocent people, not the backside of some rich industrialist. We’re the real anti-terrorists, not the idiots who are in control.’

  ‘What’s going to happen?’

  ‘I told you. Wait and find out.’

  You’re going to kill us, aren’t you, Harrigan thought. Not without a fight. He concentrated on the road ahead.

  ‘Don’t drive too fast,’ Sam said. ‘Just on the speed limit will be fine. Don’t attract attention.’

  Harrigan glanced in the rear-vision mirror. Elena’s face was turned aside, her chin buried in her shoulder. Her shoulders were shaking. Sam had her in a tight grip, the gun jammed painfully in her ribs. She was looking directly at the back of his head. Her expression was as detached as any he’d ever seen. He reminded himself that she was a trained killer. She wasn’t someone to play games with on the off chance. He drove on. There was nothing else he could do.

  30

  Past Campbelltown, Daniel Brinsmead directed Grace through the industrial estate. Rising like a monolith out of the ground, the LPS building flashed a hard blue in the early morning sunlight. Grace whistled at the sight of it.

  ‘It is impressive,’ Brinsmead said. ‘I’ll give Elena that. Don’t stop for the boom gates. Just keep driving.’

  The boom lifted for her automatically, the gates swung open. The security guard watched them drive by.

  ‘You’re privileged.’

  ‘I told you, my e-tag gives me full access rights.’

  They drove into the garage. Even early on a Saturday morning, there were a number of cars in the car park.

  ‘Scientists,’ Brinsmead said. ‘We all have tunnel vision. You’d think they could stay home in bed on a weekend morning. But here they are, working. Why couldn’t they have taken a day off?’

  The sight of the cars gave Grace confidence. She got out after Brinsmead.

  ‘Do you want to come in?’ he asked, as if surprised.

  ‘This is too much of a cave to stay in. I’d like to see the inside of the building.’

  ‘It may not be straightforward. I may have to persuade the security people to let you in. Do you have any kind of ID on you?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You may have to use it. I’ve got my dog tag on but you’ll need to be granted visitor’s access rights.’

  On his lapel, he was wearing a small gold badge. They went into the foyer to be met by the guards. The man behind the counter listened to Brinsmead stony-faced.

  ‘We’ve been directed by Dr Calvo not to give admittance to individuals whose names haven’t been cleared beforehand,’ he said. ‘Miss Riordan’s name hasn’t been cleared with me. I’ll have to call Dr Calvo before I can grant her admission.’

  ‘Please, go ahead,’ Brinsmead replied.

  The guard picked up the phone.

  ‘She’s not answering,’ he said.

  ‘She’s probably in a meeting of some kind. The responsibility for this visit is mine. Let me point out to you that I’m the chief scientist here. I’ll be the one who deals with the issue if Dr Calvo doesn’t approve. But Miss Riordan is here for a specific purpose which I’m not at liberty to divulge.’

  ‘Can I see some ID?’

  Grace showed the small leather wallet that identified her as an agent for a classified government agency. Then, at the guard’s request, she filled out a form identifying herself for the corporation’s records. This made her feel secure. People knew she was here, it was some protection.

  ‘All right,’ the guard said, reading over the details and taking a breath. ‘I’ll grant you admission. If you have a mobile phone on you, could you please place it in locker number six and then you can go in.’

  ‘We have to hurry,’ Brinsmead said, once they had passed through the inner door and were in the lift. ‘He’s too uncertain about the situation. He’ll get on to Elena soon enough.’

  They stepped out of the lift on the ground floor into the atrium, where small groups of people were hurrying places. A well-dressed woman greeted Brinsmead and smiled at Grace. Nearby, a small restaurant was open and several people sat inside eating breakfast. It made Grace feel at ease. She stopped to look at the glass wall rising above her head. It was breathtaking.

  ‘This is grand ambition, Grace,’ Brinsmead said. ‘You don’t care what it costs. Since you’re inside now, I’m going to have to ask you to wait in my lab while I go down to Elena’s office. You can have a look around and meet some of my people. This way.’

  He led her through corridors to the north-western side of the building, walking with more determination than speed. This part of the facility seemed empty. He stopped outside a door halfway along a corridor and punched in a combination to a lock.

  ‘Elena’s office is just along there,’ he said. ‘This is my laboratory. You can wait in here for me.’

  ‘Isn’t there anyone else here?’ she asked.

  ‘They should be. They may just have locked the door. After you.’

  As soon as they had stepped inside, he shut the door. Grace heard the click of the automatic lock behind them and felt a chill in her backbone. Moving more quickly than usual, Brinsmead had already pushed past her and was inside a glassed-in office. She heard him lock the door and knew she couldn’t get to him. Instead, she looked around the lab. There were no people here; it was silent and mostly dark. Only the night lights were on, the room fading into shadow. There was nowhere to hide where he could not find her.

  She looked towards Brinsmead’s office to see what he was doing. He had opened a secure filing cabinet and was taking out a thick booklet with a blue, bloodstained cover, which he put on his desk. Several sets of restraints appeared, followed by a mobile phone. Then he turned back to the filing cabinet. When he opened the door to his office and came out, he was carrying a gun. He was smiling strangely.

  ‘Come inside my office and sit down, Grace,’ he said. ‘If you do, I won’t have to use this.’

  Suddenly everything was clear to her. The guards at the desk might know of her presence, but there was no one in the laboratory but the two of them and no way in or out. No one could hear her. One day your judgement has to be wrong. She should have listened to Harrigan.

  The LPS building was huge in the landscape. Harrigan drove towards the gate. This time, the boom lifted for him automatically, and the gates swung open. The security guard raised a hand in greeting.

  ‘No one stops the boss,’ Sam said.

  ‘Where are we going?’ Harrigan asked. ‘The car park?’

  ‘No, the delivery dock. It’s closed up on a Saturday. There’ll be no one there.’

  The delivery dock was at the fu
rthest end of the building. As Sam had said, the doors were locked, the area deserted.

  ‘Won’t the guards at the front desk know this door has been opened?’ Harrigan asked.

  ‘They will, but they won’t question it if it’s on Elena’s override. Elena, here’s your phone. Turn it on. This is what we do. You use your mobile phone to key in the emergency override and open the fire door. Go on, you can do it. You’re the only one who can. When we go inside, you sit straight down at the console. First thing you turn on all the lights, and then you do what I tell you to do.’

  Elena turned her phone on. It rang to announce a missed call. Sam snatched the phone out of her hands.

  ‘This is from the guards at the front desk. Why are they calling you?’

  ‘They only call me when there’s a question of access. Someone wants to be admitted who’s not on the authorised list.’

  ‘Who?’ Harrigan asked.

  ‘Who knows?’ Sam said. ‘Harrigan, you get out of the car first and walk in front of us. Put yourself between me and Elena and the cameras. Let’s go.’

  The emergency exit was a single metal door set to the side of the main entrance to the delivery dock. It swung open. As soon as it did, Sam took the phone back from Elena. Harrigan looked around for the cameras.

  ‘Don’t try anything, Harrigan,’ Sam said. ‘Yes, the guards are watching but it won’t do them much good. I’m right here.’

  They stepped inside. Sam kicked the door shut behind them. The security guard’s station was lit with emergency lighting. All the internal doors were locked, turning the area into an isolated chamber.

  ‘Harrigan, put the car keys down on the edge of the desk. Then stand over there. Don’t move. All right, Elena, log on and do an emergency lockdown on all sectors.’

  Elena sat at the desk. Her hands were shaking. Sam stood behind her.

  ‘Do it now! Remember, I’m watching you and watching the screen.’

  Elena began to punch in the codes; the lights came on. Suddenly her phone rang again. Sam took it out of her pocket.

  ‘It’s a message. Despatch. 45. CPT. Sent by S. CPT must be Campbelltown. What does the rest of it mean?’

  ‘It means my father has sent me an encrypted email message and he wants me to reply within forty-five minutes,’ Elena replied.

  ‘Why say CPT?’

  ‘It means it has something to do with the building here. He was unhappy I spent so much money on landscaping. Maybe it’s that.’

  ‘Why S?’

  ‘Because it’s meaningless,’ Elena said angrily. ‘When I send him a message back, I’m L. That way no one knows it’s us.’

  ‘Paranoia plus. You won’t get to read it, will you? Anyway, it doesn’t matter what it means, no one will be able to get in here. Get on with it. Quickly!’

  Sam put the phone in her pocket and turned around. ‘What are you looking at, Harrigan?’

  Harrigan had been watching Elena’s face in those few seconds. It was unguardedly calculating, almost shrewd. If asked, he would have said she’d got one past Sam.

  ‘I’m watching what Elena’s doing. What’s this all about?’

  ‘Elena is shutting everyone in, including the guards at the main desk. Even the emergency exits will be locked. Don’t worry. The backup systems will kick in. They’ll all have air, they can go to the toilet. They just can’t get out.’

  ‘Why do that?’

  ‘So they won’t interrupt us.’

  ‘They can phone people,’ he said. ‘They can call the police.’

  ‘They can call whoever they like. No one can get in or out. They can send email messages too. We’re not monsters. We don’t mind people talking to their loved ones.’

  ‘Elena,’ Harrigan said, ‘this is a suicide pact. You’ve got nothing to lose.’

  ‘You shut up!’ Sam shouted, and shot a bullet past his head. He froze. It embedded itself in the wall behind him. ‘You keep your mouth shut from now on. Yes, it’s a suicide pact, which means I can kill you any time I want.’

  ‘What do you want to die for?’ Harrigan said. ‘You’re young, you’re fit.’

  ‘Yeah, and I can spend the rest of my life in gaol for breaching national security, or one day some thug Elena’s father has sent after me will find me. These are my terms. I’m dictating here. This world is a dead place. I’m cleaning a little bit of the shit away before I die. Elena, what the fuck are you doing? Okay, the shutdown’s just happened, I can see it on the screen. Everyone wait.’

  The lights went out and then came on again almost immediately. There was the sound of the air conditioning changing.

  ‘Good girl,’ Sam said. ‘We’ve got three hours now. That’s how long the lockdown lasts without being reinstated. Now, open up the north-western sector. Open all the doors and lock them open.’

  ‘Why?’ Elena asked.

  ‘The idea frightens you, does it? Who knows what we might find if we can go wherever we want? For your information, Harrigan, no one’s in this sector today. All the admin staff are home. The IT staff are offsite and Danny’s shut down his project for the weekend. Otherwise, it’s only the CEO’s suite and the animal house over here. That’s a good combination, isn’t it? Also, we shouldn’t forget the air conditioning unit.’

  At that moment, all the doors around them snapped open automatically and stayed open.

  ‘Now we wait,’ she said. The silence was oppressive. Elena’s phone rang. Sam took it out of her pocket. ‘Danny. He is here. Good.’ This time, she turned the phone off before putting it back in her pocket. ‘Okay, next step. Danny’s lab. Wait five minutes, then lock it down and put it back on its emergency air conditioning. I want you to seal it off from the rest of the building.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Just do it! When you’ve done that, you can put the rest of the building back on the main air conditioning unit.’

  They waited for five minutes, barely breathing.

  ‘All right, do it. Good. Finally, we’re ready. Harrigan, there’s a package on the floor beside you. Open it.’

  It had been addressed to Dr Brinsmead. It was large and tightly packed.

  ‘I need a knife,’ he said.

  ‘Forget it. Use your hands.’

  He managed it, and found himself looking at a series of canisters. He looked up at Sam.

  ‘It’s gas,’ she said. ‘Elena, get over there next to Harrigan. Both of you pick one up and walk. You know the way, Elena. The air conditioning unit.’

  ‘You’re not going to do that. You can’t,’ Elena said. ‘Whatever you think of me—’

  ‘Shut up! We’re going to put this building out of action. When we’re finished, it’ll be so toxic it’ll never be used again. Everything except for Danny’s lab. When someone’s able to get back in here, what’s inside that lab will be okay. They can pick up his project and keep it working somewhere else. But the rest of this place is Abaris. We’re stopping you now, once and forever. That’s why we don’t care if we die. We’re taking you with us.’

  Harrigan heard Elena draw in her breath with a sharp gasp. She was staring at Sam.

  ‘How many other people are here?’ he asked.

  ‘Do you want to die now? Because if you do, keep asking questions like that. Now pick up one of those canisters and get going.’

  For a few seconds, he didn’t move. Then Elena bent down and picked one up.

  ‘I’ll do it,’ she said. ‘But they’re heavy. I can’t move very fast.’

  ‘Move as fast as you can.’

  Harrigan took her hint and matched his pace to hers. Just as they were about to walk out, he glanced back. He saw Sam pick up the car keys and put them in her pocket. They walked along a corridor to the air conditioning unit and set the canisters down as requested. It took three trips, there and back. Harrigan looked around at the room and then at the small deadly canisters stacked in a neat row.

  ‘What are you going to do? Release it into the pipes? Where are we when that happens
?’

  ‘You don’t have to know. Back to the delivery dock.’

  He stepped outside. He was thinking. Rush her. If he did that now, all he would do was die. Look for an opportunity. He had noticed Elena had been moving more and more slowly. Maybe she was planning something that needed time.

  ‘Move it!’ Sam snapped.

  Harrigan glanced down the corridor. Unlike the others, this corridor curved around like the edge of a sliver of moon.

  ‘Isn’t that the animal house down there?’ he asked.

  ‘We’re not going in there. Hurry.’

  Once back at the delivery dock, Sam did a quick check of the console.

  ‘It’s all working. Good. Elena, you see that metal box over there, the one with a handle. Pick it up.’

  The box, an enclosed version of the small cages used to carry animals, was sitting against one wall.

  ‘How did that get in here?’ Elena asked.

  ‘Danny put it there last night. He can get in everywhere. Lucky us.’

  ‘Is he here?’

  ‘He’s waiting for us. What did you expect?

  Elena picked up the box and they walked out.

  This time they went past the corridor to the air conditioning unit and the animal house and on to the foot of the staircase. Harrigan stopped and glanced back at Sam. Her expression was not so much calm as businesslike.

  ‘What are you waiting for?’ she said. ‘Get up the stairs.’

  He was waiting his time. Not the end-time she had decided on for him but the moment of his own choosing when he would take her on. He would have to make that opportunity happen soon. There was almost no time left.

  31

  Grace walked slowly into the office. Brinsmead moved to one side to let her sit in a chair.

  ‘I’m sorry, Grace,’ he said. ‘I’m really not going to hurt you if I can avoid it.’

  She laughed. ‘Then why are you pointing a gun at me?’

  ‘That’s only if you don’t cooperate. You’re too nice to look at, I don’t want you to be damaged. If you cooperate, you won’t be. We have a little time to wait. We might as well be civil to each other.’