I just managed to hold my hand in front of Alice’s mouth. We’d all been totally taken by surprise by this remark, but she might be the one to lose control and betray us by some slight movement. I pressed her tightly to me and stroke her back. She looked up at me and nodded, signalling that she’d understood and had herself under control. She was so brave!
What a shock! Steve! For they could only be talking about Steve. Provincial delegate! Whatever that stupid title meant. He’d apparently risen in the ranks of the Nemesis collective. And he would come here tomorrow?
And he’d given them information about us. Whatever could that mean? After all, he knew nothing of importance about us, did he? The nagging worry that we might once have slipped up and mistakenly talked about Uncle Phil’s hide-out in his presence returned. I couldn’t remember, I just couldn’t remember whether it was a possibility that he might know, or not. I’d need to ask Nin and Yuki. But if he did, it didn’t bear thinking about!
Winter shot me a questioning look. But it would have to wait for later.
“You done, boys? I want to get going, so hurry up.” Chris was yelling at them again, getting up and stubbing out his cigarette.
“Why, the boss won’t be here for many hours. What do we have to hurry for now?”
“Because we’re heading for a treat, aren’t we Chris?” Pete sneered.
“You just shut up or I will leave you here to guard the plane.” Chris suddenly moved over to the back of the hangar.
Toward us!!!
But before we all had time to panic, he took a beeping phone out of his pocket and answered it.
“Yes, sir! Everything’s being taken care of. As you said, sir! The plane is being loaded right now. Yes sir, certainly sir! It’s an honour! We’ll expect you at around 24:00 at headquarters.”
He’d sounded like a schoolboy afraid of the headmaster. Not at all like the callous leader he’d been, or pretended to be, earlier.
What on earth was going on here? And who was the ‘sir’? Could it be that he’d spoken with Steve? That they called him ‘sir’ now? What did this all mean?
Meanwhile Pete had dropped his last box at the door of the plane and was facing Chris across the hangar.
“You know, Chris. It’s disgusting! You’ve become a real bootlicker, haven’t you? ‘Yes boss! Of course boss! Immediately boss!’ Hey, this ‘boss’ was a mere little shit-head boasting of knowing the real secrets some weeks ago. And you made fun of him then, just as we all did. Now he’s been made provincial delegate. And here you go. Brown-nosing him all over. It’s disgusting! Haven’t you got more backbone than to stand up to this little shit-head? He’ll soon be gone, just like the one before him. And probably by the same way. And much good it’ll do him! They never last. You used to make fun of Stevie-boy. Remember? Just some weeks ago when that girl and her family escaped and he got reprimanded by the higher echelons for loosing these potentially very important hostages? We were all laughing about him then. The way he tried to find excuses, blame it on others, the conniving bastard. And look at you now! Lickspittle that you are!” He spat in Chris’s direction.
The men had stopped what they were doing. Everyone was watching Pete and Chris, waiting for a violent reaction by Chris. After all, who would tolerate being belittled like this and in front of his own men? But to everyone’s collective astonishment, ours included, nothing happened. Nothing at all! Chris just snapped his phone shut and strode back to his car. Pete sniggered and headed for the other car.
“Hey boss?” Another man chipped in, obviously anxious to ease tensions a bit. “So where are we going now? A treat Pete said. What kind?”
“You’ll see soon enough what’s in store for you.” Chris grumbled; then louder. “So, everybody’s done here? Right? Okay? Then let’s move out. We’ll be back tomorrow morning at eight for the last preparations.”
He closed the door of the car and got ready to leave.
They had all completed their respective jobs, except for the men who were fuelling the plane. It was another telling sign of how they operated as a group, maybe as a collective, that none of the other men helped them. Instead, they got into the cars or stood about outside and waited for these two to finish their job.
But Pete wasn’t finished teasing Chris yet. He leaned out of the window and shouted over to Chris. “Shouldn’t we leave someone to guard that plane?”
“Whatever for? We’ve killed all the survivors around here, haven’t we? There isn’t a human alive within 100 km who isn’t one of us. This is Nemesis heartland now. Nothing to worry.” It wasn’t Chris but the driver of the second car who’d answered Pete.
And everyone agreed. Laughing. Some of them were even congratulating themselves on this horrible feat.
Chris himself didn’t answer Pete, but just bellowed at everyone to finally get ready, now that the plane was packed and fuelled up. Then we heard car doors being opened and closed, cars being started and, finally, after having closed and locked the hangar’s front door, they drove out of the hangar and sped off.
We remained where we were for several minutes. Silently. Listening hard. Even long after we couldn’t hear the cars anymore. Only when we could hear birds singing outside, did we relax and slowly moved out from our hiding-place among the boxes and crates.
All of us shaken.
Now that it was all over, my knees started shaking and I had to crouch down. Alice pressed her face into my chest and sobbed. Josh embraced us both, murmuring. “It’s okay, we’ve made it.”
“Close shave, eh?” Paul sauntered over to the plane, nonchalantly inspecting it.
“You know, the more we hear of this Nemesis group, the less I understand why they had such a success with their plan in the first place.” Rob mused, turning toward Josh. “I mean, they seem to be like a herd of sheep, not thinking, reasoning, independent human beings. I think Paul was right the other evening when he speculated about their imminent demise.”
“Did you know them?” Winter had turned to look at Yuki, Nin and me.
“I did, yes.” I replied, trying to keep the trembling out of my voice. “They were the ones who killed those four people down by the river. That day when I was alone out there and heading home after having successfully side-tracked Steve. Not all of them, but Chris, the leader, and Pete, the one who made fun of him. The others I have never before set eyes on. But it was strange today. The way Chris and Pete behaved. Last time Chris had very much been in charge of everything. He’d been absolutely sure of himself, totally confident, violent, very brutal. Now, he seemed like a different person. So insecure, boisterous still, but in a scared-rabbit-kind-of-style. I don’t understand this.”
“May I venture an educated guess as to what might have changed here?” Rob answered and we all turned to look at him. “The more I hear and see of theses Nemesis people, the more I am convinced that they are doomed and that Paul was right all along. I mean, just look at their hierarchical structure, the way they seem to value rank and hierarchy more than actual capabilities or mutual trust and friendship. Everyone seems just to be acting opportunistically. Today we are friends, tomorrow I’ll rat on you and get your position. This ruthless and utterly selfish approach may help them now, in this first phase, where sheer brute force and a strict chain of command are absolutely vital. But on the long run, it’ll ruin them. Coz, as history has taught us time and again, whenever a dictator, a system, whoever, tried to rule by instilling sheer terror in the ranks of their subordinates they didn’t last long. Sooner or later these systems collapse from within. Because humans are not mindless machines who can be herded and guided to behave as it pleases a select few who play at being their masters. Just you wait and see. We’ll see the end of that reign of terror sooner rather than later. And good for us. We finally know where and how to fight them.”
“Do we?” Winter inquired, a spark of humour in her voice.
He winked at her, then, hugging her tight, answered “Yes Flo, we do. And yes, I love you, to
o, heart of my heart.”
She sighed happily at that and wrapped her arm around his waist.
It was so cute and touching the way they were with each other. Absolutely devoted, but not in a gooey kind of way. Rather, they seemed to be so sure of the other’s feeling that they could afford to tease one another. Grant each other breathing space, so to speak. All the while loving each other from the core of their hearts. Equal partners. It was inspiring and wonderful to watch. I liked that nickname for Winter, Flo, it was cute and special and utterly appropriate.
I shot a quick look at Josh and he winked at me, smiling broadly. Good.
“Hey, get over here and have a look.” Paul had reappeared from within the plane and was waving for us to come over.
We all walked to him and he pointed at the boxes in the plane. “Supplies for three weeks they said. Sure, too much beer, but I guess we’d better carry it along for now.”
Nin climbed in beside him and opened some of the boxes. “Not exactly the food I would have chosen to carry, but it will do.”
“So you mean to say, that we should steal the plane and its cargo from under their noses? Is that what you are implying?” Yuki asked a bit incredulous. “Forget it! It’s too dangerous, Nin! We can’t take that risk.”
“Nonsense, Yuki!” Nin looked down at her confidently. “They won’t expect anything like this. No way, no how, never. After all, they think that they are the only ones around here for miles and miles. Don’t they? It’s just too good an opportunity to let pass.”
He paused and shot me a speculating look. “By the way, Lia, what did those two mean when they talked about Steve having ratted on us, exposed our family’s secret.”
Everyone turned to me expectantly; and I felt once again ashamed for having been so easily deceived by Steve. I didn’t dare looking at Josh but addressed Nin instead.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I have been trying very hard to remember whether we ever talked about Uncle Phil’s hide-out in Steve’s presence or not. I am sure, I didn’t. I mean, you yourself never ever talked to Yuki about it, did you? We’ve been brought up to not talk about it. And Alice didn’t know the significance of Uncle Phil’s farm, too. Not until we told Yuki.”
Alice nodded gravely and added. “And I never told Steve about Kenya anyway. Just that I had been there several times and had seen many animals.”
“True enough.” Nin confirmed. “We’ve never made it a secret that we frequently go to Kenya, for geological expeditions or bird-watching, vacations and the like. No reason for him to suspect anything else.” He scratched his head, at a loss for an explanation.
“But what did this man mean when he said this Steve had revealed your family’s secret to them?” Winter insisted, looking very concerned.
Josh came over to my side and put an arm around my waist. I still didn’t dare to look at him. Josh answered Winter’s question. “Maybe I can venture a guess here. Your Dad once told me that Steve tried to suck up to him and wouldn’t take no for an answer. And that he sent him on a wild-goose-chase just for the fun of it. Told him something about highly sensitive information and involvement in top secret affairs of unknown dimension and implications and such crap. And that Steve lapped it up as if it were pure nectar. Your Dad spoke very derisively about Steve. So, my heart’s delight,” he pulled me tight and kissed me, “no need to worry yourself sick or look so embarrassed. You’ve given nothing away. I am sure. Your Dad has been very clever, once again, and has sent Steve on a false trail, hopefully all the way to Antarctica or some other such place. So, kiss me my love and brighten up.”
Finally I dared looking into his eyes. And what I saw there made my heart flutter and my stomach knot. His eyes were teasing me and at the same time brimming with warmth and love.
“Thanks! Oh, thank you so much!” I managed to say before he kissed me again.
“Much as I hate to interrupt this endearing and passionate display of our youngest loving couple …”
“Oh, Paul, cut it out, will you!” Winter hissed at him.
Apparently this must have been a rare event, for he backed off immediately, looking a bit confused.
“Serves you right, bro.” Rob chuckled all the while reaching out for Winter and pulling her close. “You should know better. Never enrage a lioness defending her cubs. As well you know.”
Winter punched him in the side, but yielded willingly to his kiss.
“Yeah, yeah, but let me point out to you that this Chris has just provided us with the perfect cover for a get-away.” Paul insisted.
And, when he saw that this remark had got him all our collective attention, he explained haughtily. “Apparently Chris should have left at least one man to guard the plane. Right? But he obviously had other, private plans for today. They were all happy to follow his lead. Any commander worth his salt would have left somebody to guard the plane, especially with this precious cargo on-board. And apparently they intend to come back only tomorrow morning. So, all we have to do is pack up quickly and leave as soon as we can. Tomorrow morning early, I’d say. I still hold that it’s too dangerous to fly through the night. Even if they were to see the plane in mid-air, they’d just assume that we were some of them. Maybe even the ‘boss’ having shown up a lot earlier than he’d announced. Maybe to come and check on them. And, frankly, Christ strikes me a person who’s extremely reluctant to admit a mistake. He won’t rush here to investigate but rather bide his time. By the time they will all finally realize what really happened, we’ll be well on our way over the Mediterranean and safe. And, if we leave tomorrow morning early we will be able to fly on sight all the way down to Sudan. Don’t you agree, Josh?”
“I see your point, though I agree with Yuki, too. This really is a high risk strategy.”
“But it will come as an utter and total surprise for them.” Paul enthusiastically replied, patting Josh on his back. “Don’t you see, bro? We’ve been granted the window of opportunity we were so anxiously hoping for. All we have to do now is get back to the shelter, pack up our gear, get some sleep and be down here tomorrow morning very early and get going. It’s now almost four. So, let’s get back to our shelter and start packing.”
“Tomorrow morning we’ll leave? Already?” Yuki sounded dismayed. And she had voiced my thoughts exactly. We looked at each other in shock. Only a few hours to pack whatever we wanted to take with us! And leave our home for ever?
Not so soon! I needed time! Alice!
I looked at her, expecting to see a frightened, confused girl. But her eyes were sparkling and she answered Yuki defiantly. “But Yuki, imagine, if we get out tomorrow, we’ll be in Kenya soon. I will see Mum soon! Oh Lia! How wonderful!!” She was hopping up and down excitedly, not at all confused or scared.
“That’s the spirit!” Paul laughed and lifted her up, swinging her around until she squealed with delight.
Meanwhile Josh had turned to face me. He looked anxious. “Are you alright with this, Lia? Will you have enough time to pack?”
When I slowly nodded, still unsure of what to think of this sudden change of plan, he went on, “I have to agree with Paul and Nin, though, you know. This really is the window of opportunity we never dreamed would present itself. It’s perfect. But you and Yuki, will you both be alright?”
“We will be perfectly alright.” Yuki had obviously recovered from the initial shock by now, her voice sounding very brisk and business-like. “Lia, I am afraid they are right. If we want to get out by plane, we have to do it now. So, we had better hurry. Right? So, let’s not waste precious time.”
“That’s a girl!” Nin grinned broadly while embracing her.
“Well, then let’s get back to the shelter.” Winter said and we all started toward the backdoor of the hangar.
“Wait.” Rob interrupted. “Shouldn’t we leave someone to guard the plane? Just in case? So that we won’t encounter any unwanted surprises when we come back?”
“Like who and how many?” Paul countered.
> “Like you and I, I suggest.” Came Rob’s cool answer.
Winter looked alarmed at this. But before she could say anything, Josh chipped in.
“I don’t think that this is necessary. And you need food and rest just as we do. Let’s all get back to the shelter, pack up things and come down here tomorrow very early. We all heard that Chris and his people intend to be back by eight o’clock tomorrow, not earlier. That leaves us plenty of time. No need to split up now.”
We all nodded our agreement to this; Winter was visibly relieved. And Rob and Paul also didn’t look too unhappy about this decision.
Leaving the hangar by the side door, we briefly checked whether the air was clear and then headed for the river and our shelter in a slow sprint, taking care that Alice managed to keep up with us. We slowed down once we reached the trees.
It felt weird. Things were happening so fast now! In just a few hours we’d be gone. Our house, our home. And we would never come back here again!
But I couldn’t afford to dwell on this now. I had to think about what to pack. What to leave behind. We could only take what we could carry down to the plane now. We couldn’t risk going round with a car. So, that meant only the bare necessities.
“What are you suddenly smiling at so smug?” Apparently Josh missed nothing.
“I was mentally packing our things. Only bare necessities. And then I remembered some things I absolutely can’t leave behind and pictured your reaction when you’d hear me declare these items bare necessities. It’ll be fun.”
“What, like half your precious library?” Nin scoffed.
“You’ll carry your Mum’s medical book, won’t you?” Yuki asked. “But that really is an essential thing to take along. So, you can’t mean that. I am curious now, too.”
We had reached the upper road by now and were only metres away from the tunnel entry.
Lia's files 2_Heading down south Page 10
