by James Flynn
Suddenly from up ahead there was a loud clanging noise. With the acoustics being non-existent, Luke couldn’t make out what the noise was; he raised the machine gun to shoulder height and increased his speed, ready for anyone who might appear in front of him.
The whole place reminded Luke of a Middle Eastern prison. In many Middle Eastern countries the military dug underground prisons to avoid drone reconnaissance planes. Long-forgotten memories came back into view, nights spent in hot Afghan and Iraqi deserts, with soldiers recounting their tales to Luke … to Alex, about what they had seen in the field.
Another clang sounded up ahead and Luke stopped; he was getting closer to the origin. Another fifteen feet down the tunnel a door loomed up on his left; it was a solid steel structure that had a sliding peephole. Luke pressed his ear against the door; it was too thick to pick up a noise. He tried the handle, it creaked and the door gave way.
The room had no lights; it was barely bigger than a wardrobe. Luke stepped in and closed the door over. The room was not in darkness, it was being lit from the right wall, or what was once the right wall. Sir Peter had installed a two-way mirror and Luke stood staring through at a man lying on his side. Luke was obviously on the transparent side of the mirror and as he moved closer he could see that the dirtied, dishevelled man was, in fact, Prussias Latvik.
Luke’s heart leapt. Prussias was moving and shouting. If Prussias was here then Seona must be too. On Luke’s left was a small wooden table; on top of the table was a state of the art encryption radio desk, designed to hide the voice’s natural pitch, tone and speed, but in front of that was a very old tannoy microphone with wires leading through the wall above the mirror. It suddenly dawned on Luke that this must be where Sir Peter communicated as Medea, and it was well thought-out because he would never actually need to be in the room, or even in the sublevel. The desk had a transmitter built in that could transmit for hundreds of yards. Why would you go through all this trouble?
Luke didn’t have time to debate motives or communication tactics, he moved back out into the hallway. He purposefully passed the next door that led to Prussias. For now, Prussias was alive and that probably wouldn’t be changing in the immediate future. He had to find Seona and get them all out.
A further ten feet down the corridor there was another pair of steel doors; one had no way of seeing through and was locked shut; the other had a peephole. Luke cautiously slid it across and wanted to shout with relief. Sitting blindfolded on a chair was Seona. She was still but alive. A rusted bed frame sat on the other side of her. He pulled the handle down and the door opened inwards. He had fallen into the trap; a fist whipped across his eyes and hit him square in the jaw, knocking him clean off his feet.
69.
“Good evening, Mr Temple. What is it with you and not dying?” Aegeus sneered and struck another blow with the handle of a pistol, knocking Luke’s vision blurry.
Seona had wondered what was happening. Hearing the name she cried out. “Luke, Luke!”
The room was another low-ceilinged cell; Luke could see that his attacker was built like a brick house; not so tall, but his arms and shoulders were as solid as an ox’s. He went to grab his gun and realised to his horror that it now lay by the man’s foot.
Aegeus kicked away Luke’s gun, then he took his own pistol and threw it to the back of the cell. “I thought I wasn’t going to get a chance for this, Mr Temple.” He cracked his neck and stretched his arms. “I want to see how tough you really are, mate.” With that, Aegeus took a fighting stance.
Luke got to his feet. There were no other exits and if he wanted the weapons he had to get through this hulk. Aegeus threw a kick which Luke deflected, but the force of it rocked him back. Not stopping, Aegeus threw a series of well-aimed kicks to Luke’s chest. This man was well trained; he fought effectively, not prettily.
Aegeus extended his right leg at a downward angle striking hard at Luke’s ankle. The pain was immediate and Luke gritted his teeth. He span to move off the wall and his right ankle gave out. Scrambling along the dirt-riddled floor, Luke twisted and turned, trying to keep his body facing his assailant. Aegeus stalked across the room, a wide smile across his face; his scar tissue glistened in the dim light. Luke propped himself up, resting his weight on one leg. Aegeus ploughed towards him. Luke let out a sharp jab but at the point of full extension Aegeus ducked low and skidded towards Luke’s weak ankle, grabbing it and twisting it back on itself. Luke let out a scream as the pain jolted up his leg.
Seona began shouting and crying, all she could hear was a whirlwind of violence spinning around her, the blows reverberating in her ears.
Luke tried to fight back, landing an elbow hard on Aegeus’s collarbone; he didn’t even flinch, shrugging it off as he threw a hard shot into Luke’s ribs. Luke knew he was losing the fight, every blow sapped more strength. Aegeus wasn’t about to let up, he smelled blood. The pair were dancing around the room with Aegeus dominating proceedings. Seona kept crying Luke’s name, trying to work out who was winning the tussle.
“Where is he?” Luke tried a different tactic to buy some time.
“Who’s that, mate?” Aegeus still had a smile seared across his face.
“Medea, where is he?”
Aegeus let out a thunderous laugh. “Not your concern.”
With that, Aegeus let off another flurry of kicks and punches. Luke kept his arms up but it felt like he was caught in a hailstorm of rocks. Every time he showed the slightest of openings, Aegeus pummelled in another punch or kick. Luke was forced down onto his knees and then, with a final kick, Aegeus crashed his foot under Luke’s jaw, cracking his head against the wall. Aegeus knew that his prey was finished. He had reduced him to a cowering mess. This was always Aegeus’s favourite moment, the feeling of power before the kill.
Luke was sucking air down to his lungs, trying to steady his breathing and focus his mind. No longer did his mind function like a computer, it was blurry and foggy. The world moved in slow motion, his body was throbbing. He raised his head and looked at Seona. She was screaming and shouting but he could no longer hear her. She was in a distant tunnel, blindfolded and tied. Aegeus began his death move.
The past two weeks ran through Luke’s mind: the kidnap, the betrayal, Seona, Aubert, Medea. He couldn’t slow the thoughts as they tumbled backwards: Group 9, death, secrets, Afghanistan, war, Alex … Sarah.
Luke felt the anger rise from his heart; he growled in defiance. He was a survivor, he was Luke Temple. A punch lashed out from Luke’s arm smashing up under Aegeus’s chin. Aegeus was stunned. Luke followed with punch after punch aimed at the head, neck and sternum; the ferocity of each blow rocked Aegeus. He was back-tracking. Luke drove the side of his foot into Aegeus’s knee and watched the knee cap slip out of place. Aegeus cried out in pain and frustration. Luke wasn’t stopping; he sent two kicks to the kidneys. Aegeus lost his footing as his weight went on his dislocated knee and he collapsed onto his side. Luke clamped his knees around Aegeus’s ears and rained down blow after blow, not stopping until Aegeus’s face was a pulp of blood and mucus.
Luke stood up and stared down at the bald man. Blood now stained his cranium. Aegeus squinted through the pain and his eyes rolled around their sockets. Luke retrieved the pistol from the back of the cell; his body ignored the pain. He walked back over to the semiconscious mess on the floor.
“Fuck you.” With that, Luke emptied the whole magazine into Aegeus.
“Luke, Luke!” Seona was screaming with fear.
“It’s ok, it’s me.” Luke took off her blindfold, her eyes were red but the blue sparks were still visible behind the tears.
“Thank God!” Seona half-laughed and half-cried. “You came for me!”
“Of course I did.” Luke gave a weak smile. The moment you switch off, you may as well be dead. The thought refocused Luke and he cut Seona’s ties and helped her to her feet.
“You’re hurt.” She gently stroked his face.
He shook her a
way. “We are not out of danger yet, follow me.” He picked up the MP5SD as he exited the room. Luke aimed back down the tunnel; his senses were alert, adrenaline was again doing its thing. There was no sign of life from the far end where he had first entered. He moved swiftly back over to Prussias Latvik’s room and turned back to Seona. She was following behind, jumping at every sound. He then pushed down the handle of the steel door and opened so that she could see inside.
Seona nearly fainted at the sight, sprawled on the floor attached to a chair was her father. She attempted to say his name but nothing came out. Her eyes met her fathers’ and she could not remember a time where she had seen him so happy to see her. He was a shadow of himself but in that moment she wanted to hug him more than ever before. She ran in and lay down next to him, hugging him tightly. Prussias couldn’t talk; he just thanked God that his daughter was alive.
Luke moved into the room and Prussias flinched. Seona sensed his apprehension. “It’s ok, Father, he is here to help. I love you so much, I was worried …” Seona trailed off.
“My dear, I am the happiest man on the planet, thank God, my child.” Prussias savoured every inch of the embrace.
Luke moved in and clinically set to work untying Prussias and getting him back on his feet. “We have to get out, follow me.”
“Where are we?” Prussias asked.
That was something Luke didn’t want to get into yet, all would be made clear soon enough.
70.
Luke crouched on the stairs that led up to the exit on to the back lawn. The night was crystal clear, a million stars glittered above. Luke knew the only way to check what awaited them was to put his head out of cover. He gently raised his head just enough so that he could scan the area. At ground level the house looked even more imposing with its vast castle-like towers on each corner. The grass appeared human-size as his eyes skimmed across the grounds searching for any tell-tale signs that a thousand guards and officers were waiting for them to emerge from the sublevel.
He couldn’t see anything, but he knew that there was only one way to know for certain and that would be to exit and make a run for it. Luke looked back down the stairs where Prussias and Seona stood in each other’s arms, staring up at him.
“It looks clear; there is a house to our left. As we come out, the nearest door is twenty feet away, it leads to a utility room. All you have to do is move as fast as you can to that door, no stopping, no looking back.” Luke knew they were both in for a huge surprise the moment they laid eyes on the house.
Seona and Prussias both nodded. Luke beckoned them both up to join him. He would head out first and take up a firing position to cover them. Luke nodded at them both and he disappeared out of the hole, immediately followed by Seona, with Prussias bringing up the rear. As Luke sprang from the hole, his worst fears were realised.
No gunshots erupted, the night remained calm and quiet, but Prussias and Seona stood glued to the spot in the middle of the back lawn. Their jaws hung open and they stared in horror at the house. Luke had known that the realisation that they were being held at Sir Peter’s home was going to be a shock, but he needed them to stay alert and keep moving.
“It can’t be.” Prussias was stunned.
Luke tore up behind them and aggressively grabbed their wrists, yanking them toward the house. “Move, move, move!” Seona and Prussias couldn’t take their eyes off the house. The trio were now in a dangerous position; Luke was using both hands to drag them to the house. If someone fired he wouldn’t be able to return it. Eventually they reached the utility door and congregated inside.
“I don’t … I don’t ...” Prussias couldn’t form the words.
“Luke, this is …” Seona couldn’t bring herself to say it.
“I know,” Luke said plainly.
Prussias staggered to a work surface and leant on both hands, trying to get a grip on things.
It was then that Luke realised that the house was strangely quiet, outside on the lawn there had been no movement at all. Now inside, he was expecting guards and radios crawling and crackling all over the place. He suddenly remembered that he had a radio on him, but there was no communication coming through. Something wasn’t right.
“Stay here!” Luke vanished into the house.
Prussias slammed his hands down on the surface. “It can’t be, I won’t accept it, there has to be an explanation.”
Seona felt the familiar sense of nausea creep across her stomach. She couldn’t believe that her Uncle Peter was the man responsible for all of her suffering, she wouldn’t believe it. But everything seemed to fit, she didn’t want it to, but her Uncle Peter was the only man she knew who could have organised the whole thing. He knew her movements, he knew her father better than he knew himself, and he had access to a world she never thought she would know. Her mind reeled to Viktor Struanz …Viktor, poor Viktor. Seona grabbed for her father, he was mumbling like someone possessed. They hugged tightly.
“I am so sorry my darling; I have brought this upon us.” Prussias held his daughter’s head.
Luke slunk back into the room. “It seems quiet. Guys, I need you to listen.”
Seona and Prussias were distant.
“Guys, I need your attention.” Luke raised his voice. When they both faced him he continued, “We are going to move to the front of the house, stay behind me.”
“Who are you?” Prussias asked vacantly.
Seona whispered her response. “An angel.”
The trio got into single file, Seona sandwiched between Prussias at the rear and Luke at the front. Luke knew that they both knew the layout of the house far better than he did, so he encouraged them to shout directions to reach the front door. They snaked their way through the warren den that was the ground floor, Luke always keeping the MP5SD pointed out in front. Picking up the line of one of the many hallways, Prussias informed them that if they followed this they would arrive at the main entrance. He was right, moments later all three of them stalked out of the hallway, across the wooden floored entrance hall, and over to the main door. The whole ground floor still smelled of subsiding metallic burning from the Claymores.
Through the frosted glass covering the top half of the door, Luke caught a movement from the other side. At a distance, out on the front lawn, he instinctively froze, the other two doing likewise, but before anyone had a chance to speak, light poured in through the door. The light was blinding, sharply followed by a flash of red and blue.
Please come out with your hands up, the loudspeaker blared.
So this is how it ends, thought Luke.
At the same time there was a crash from the floor above, making them all flinch. Luke kept focused on the ceiling. “Go out, both of you.” Luke levelled his eyes at Seona.
“You’ll be ok now, you need to go out.”
“That’s him, isn’t it? That’s Peter!”
Luke didn’t turn back at Prussias’s question; he was already running toward the stairs.
71.
The first floor of Sir Peter’s mansion seemed to be a completely different design to the ground level, the halls were large and airy, and the floor space was immense. Giant paintings adorned the walls; the faces looked demonic in the strange shadows being cast by the spotlights outside. Luke doubled back around until he was directly above where they heard the noise. There was an orange glow creeping across the floor from underneath a door to Luke’s left. He brought the machine gun to aim and crept closer. The wooden floors creaked under every step; he was favouring his left foot to keep his weight off his damaged right ankle. Luke tried to keep as close to the wall as possible in order to eliminate any noise. He was two paces away from the door. He braced his weight on his left leg and with one movement he knocked the door clean open, and found himself staring down the barrel of a gun.
“That’s quite far enough my boy.” Sir Peter stood opposite Luke with a maple desk between them. It was quite obviously a study of some description. Sir Peter looked tired and his eye
s were wild; he wore a white shirt that was unbuttoned at the top and grey trousers. “You seem hell-bent on disrupting my plans, Mr Temple.”
“Med ...” Luke only half-spoke the name.
“Clever boy. Although not so clever that you appreciate the bigger picture here. Do you not see what I am doing? What needs to be done? Of course you don’t. Well, I’m glad to say that you are one mistake I can rectify.” Sir Peter raised the gun to chest-level, but just as he was about to pull the trigger, Seona and Prussias burst in.
Sir Peter let his arm go limp; his eyes were wide with horror. He didn’t believe what his gaze was showing him. The four of them stood in complete silence; the air was charged with emotion.
Sir Peter went to speak, but even the great lion realised that it was all over, his plans had come to a shuddering halt. For the first time he looked all of his sixty-seven years.
Prussias spoke first. “Tell me it isn’t true, Peter, there must be an explanation, tell me, tell me!”
Sir Peter gazed wildly between Seona and Prussias. “I had to Prussias, I had to …” he trailed off.
Silence once again descended. Nobody could process the information. Seona broke the silence this time. “You’re Medea? I don’t understand.”
Sir Peter kept to his line. “I had to. Forgive me, but there is a greater cause here, a greater cause than we three. I had to punish you, Prussias.” Sir Peter made towards the pair, but Luke aimed his gun. “It was for a purpose, you must believe me.”
Prussias felt dizzy. “Would you have killed her?”
Sir Peter didn’t answer, so Prussias screamed it. “Would you have killed her?!”
