Meadowbank: A dark fantasy thriller (The Shael Chronicles Book 2)

by Jonathan Kent

  A second chair crashed against the panel and she felt Dex stiffen beside her. 'It won't hold them forever,' he said, 'We should go.'

  Elida sighed. 'I suppose you're right. I was hoping to flex my...muscles a bit. But, oh well, there's always another day.'

  'What about the subjects? Do we need them?'

  Elida moved to Karen's pod and caressed the side of her cheek. 'Take this one,' she said, 'She's a fine specimen. Far better than this child. I may feel the need for an...' she searched Elida's memory for the right turn of phrase. 'Upgrade! Yes, I like that. I may need an upgrade.'

  'Very well, and the other?'

  'Leave her. Give these fools a little light in their pointless lives.'

  Dex lifted Karen from the pod as Elida used the Shimbala to open the gateway. She twisted the ring, clicking through the scenes with alarming speed. 'Now, where to go,' she said, 'Oh, I know. Let's go back to where it all began.' The image changed to a beautiful tropical beach bathed in late afternoon sun, 'Perfect!'

  There was a third huge crash from behind as the chair broke through the glass. She could see two of them struggling to free it and decided enough was enough. She motioned for Dex to go through and then took one last look as the chair came all the way through, shattering the entire panel in the process. The first one through was a handsome man with a decent size bruise on his head. They locked eyes and the look he gave her was one of pure hatred.

  Elida/Lycheen had little concern for the three men pushing their way into the med lab. She'd taken what she needed and simply stepped through the portal; leaving the Sector 72 research facility and all its secrets behind.

  13

  The chair was doing more damage than the bullets and Andrew was hitting the glass like a man possessed. They were making decent progress, but as soon as George saw the bear pick up Karen and the girl open the portal, he knew the game was up.

  The fourth hit, combined with a hefty kick from Thomas shattered the glass. Andrew scrambled through, but it was too late. The girl gave them an odd, quizzical look, stepped through and then with a soft pop the portal was gone.

  'FUUUCK!' shouted Andrew and ran to the closed pod. One look told him Thomas was right and that it was Gillian inside, 'Where's Lizzy?' he shouted, 'Where is she?'

  George was the last one through and without the emotional attachment, was able to take in the whole picture. The women had clearly been meant for some kind of medical experiment and judging by the way the girl had calmly left, they must have judged it a success. What he didn't understand was the need to kidnap and sedate a third woman. There was a second room off the main lab which Andrew had yet to see. George pushed open the door and the lights sprang on, activated by a motion sensor. In the centre of the room sat a third gurney and all the pieces fell into place in a gut wrenching instant.

  He turned back to the main room where Thomas was trying unsuccessfully to open the sealed pod. 'Andrew,' he said quietly, but he was too distracted to hear. 'ANDREW!' he shouted and this got his attention, 'She's in here.'

  The look on George's face stopped Andrew cold. 'What is it George?' he said, but the way he sagged suggested he already knew the answer, 'Is she...?'

  George broke eye contact and Andrew pushed past him into the smaller room. There was a pause and then came the most mournful cry George had ever heard. 'Lizzy? Lizzy! God no!'

  George joined a shocked looking Thomas at the pod. No words were exchanged between them, but a simple shake of George's head was all that was needed.

  'Oh Jesus, George,' said Thomas.

  George gave a huge, defeated sigh. 'I know,' he said, 'After all we've been through. I can't believe it.' He motioned to the medical pod, 'Can you open it?'

  'No, its sealed tight. But the readouts say vital signs are all ok.'

  'Thank god! What the hell were they doing in here. It doesn't make any sense.'

  There was a sob from the other room followed by muttered words they couldn't quite make out. George squeezed his eyes shut. He could never forget the huge sorrow he'd felt after his own wife had died. Nothing could fill the emptiness Andrew was now feeling; except time. And that was something they had precious little of.

  'Do you think I should hit it?' said Thomas.

  'Sorry, what?'

  'The pod. Shall I try and crack it open?'

  'I suppose. Use the revolver.'

  Thomas grabbed the larger six shooter by the muzzle and lifted it over his head. He was aiming for a spot just below his mother's mouth when a female computer voice came from the medical pod.

  'DAMAGING MEDICAL EQUIPMENT IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED', it said, 'IMMEDIATE POD DECOMPRESSION WILL ALSO RESULT IN TERMINATION OF CONNECTED SUBJECT.'

  Thomas lowered the revolver and looked at George. 'Then how do we get her out?'

  'THE DISCONNECTION PROCEDURE HAS ALREADY COMMENCED AND WILL TAKE APPROXIMATELY THIRTY SEVEN MINUTES TO COMPLETE.'

  'Will she be alright?' asked Thomas, the concern noticeable in his voice.

  'SUBJECT ALPHA: GILLIAN OF SECTOR 19. HAS NOT BEEN SUBJECT TO ANY PROCEDURE AND WILL AWAKEN ONCE THE DISCONNECTION IS COMPLETED. THE SUBJECT WILL HAVE AN INDETERMINATE AMOUNT OF SHORT TERM MEMORY LOSS, DEPENDENT ON THE QUANTITY AND DURATION OF SEDATION.'

  'But she will be ok?'

  'YES. SUBJECT ALPHA WILL NOT FEEL ANY ILL EFFECTS.'

  The look of relief on the boys face was obvious. George however, needed more. 'Can you tell me what happened to the woman in the other room?'

  'SUBJECT BETA WAS UNSUITABLE FOR THE PROCEDURE. MEDICAL PROTOCOLS WERE OVERRIDDEN RESULTING IN INSTANT POD EJECTION.'

  'Meaning she died?'

  'YES. SUBJECT BETA SUFFERED ACUTE BRAIN TRAUMA ON EJECTION. UNFORTUNATELY THIS RESULTED IN SUDDEN DEATH FOR BOTH SUBJECT AND GESTATING INFANT.'

  'Oh shit!' said Thomas, 'She was pregnant?'

  'THAT IS CORRECT.'

  George grabbed Thomas by the shoulders. 'We can't tell Andrew this,' he whispered, 'He's had enough of a shock. This could finish him!'

  Thomas said nothing for a long time as the realization of what George was asking sunk in. After a while he nodded his agreement and returned to his mother's pod. All was quiet in the second room and for the time being, with nothing better to do than wait, he sat on the open pods table.

  For some reason, maybe linked to the pregnancy, Andrew's wife had not been suitable for the procedure. Because of this, the girl calling the shots had sent the shape-shifting thing to collect another specimen: Karen. What George couldn't understand was why neither Gillian or Karen had been subjected to this unknown procedure. It all seemed an incredible waste of life when ultimately nothing had been done.

  There was also the other man they had witnessed being thrown through the portal. George presumed they had known what was waiting on the other side, so it baffled him as to why they would go to so much effort to wound him in such a way. He jumped down from the gurney and located the poor man's discarded arm lying in a pool of congealing blood in the corner of the room. He'd seen plenty of horrific sights during the war, but even so, he chose to flip it over with his foot.

  There was something shining in its clenched fist and despite his better instincts, he prized open the fingers revealing a shiny brass plate. Connected to the plate was an intricate ring on the index finger. He thought back to the way the girl had conjured the gateway seemingly out of thin air and how she seemed to be flicking something on her hand to make the image change. He carefully worked the ring loose and pulled it from the dead man's fingers. The brass plate hummed as if an electric current was pulsing through it and coupled with a moveable inner cylinder on the ring, it was an odd contraption indeed.

  Thomas was still waiting beside his mother's pod when George joined him. 'What did you find?’ he asked.

  George showed him the contraption. 'This thing. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the markings look very similar to that gate we came through earlier.'

  Thomas took the device, fascinated by how it hummed in his hand. '
What do you think it does?'

  'I think it may be how they got away.'

  Thomas frowned and placed it on his index finger. The plate fit snugly in his palm and once fully on, the humming went all the way up his arm and under his chin. He held it up, pointed his hand towards the far wall and squeezed the brass plate. The humming intensified and a portal appeared before them. 'Holy crap!' he said. With his thumb he rotated the inner ring and the image in front of them changed, 'The Meadowbanks would have killed to have something like this!

  George and Thomas were so preoccupied with the device that they didn't notice Andrew had left the side room until he was right beside them. He watched Thomas flick through the multitude of scenes. Each one was as different as the last, and not one familiar.

  'I'm going after them,' he said.

  Both George and Thomas turned as one. Andrew was pale, gaunt and his eyes were red raw from crying. 'Don't be ridiculous, Andrew,' said George, 'You've got to come back with us.'

  'What for?' he said, 'There's nothing back there for me. My wife is dead and the people responsible are over here. No one else is going to make them pay. Besides, they still have Karen.'

  'Andrew, this isn't the way. People need to know.'

  'And what will I tell them George. What will I tell her fucking parents? That their only daughter died in an alien world after being kidnapped by a Goth and a bear. You have to see this is the only way.'

  'Andrew...'

  'George, I haven't lost it. I know what's going on. Someone has to go after Karen. You need to get Thomas and Gillian back safe. That's your job. I need to do this.'

  George could tell there was no swaying him and as much as he didn't like it, he was right about Karen. If they left it too long the trail would go cold. 'Alright. I'll get them home and then I'll come back for you. We'll find Karen together.'

  'No George,' he said, 'Do the math. There's no time for that. I need to go now and you need to get them back. I can't wait. Also, you need to destroy that gateway.'

  'No! I can't do that! How will you get back? How will I find you?'

  'George, you're not listening. You've done your bit. I need to do this. I'm hoping that ring thing can get me back, but as for the gate, you know only bad things are gonna come from keeping it and I'm not just talking about from this side. In the wrong hands we've already seen the damage it can do.'

  Thomas had been listening to the whole conversation and spoke up now. 'George,' he said, 'This may feel wrong, but it's the only way. When we get back there's gonna be a lot of questions. I can't deal with that alone. Andrew has to go after Karen.'

  'SHIT!' shouted George, at himself more than anything, 'I said I wouldn't lose anyone else on my watch.' Tears were now streaming down his cheeks, 'I said I would do this. For both of you!'

  Thomas went to him and held him. 'And you did. We would never have got here without you. None of this is on you. I wish you were my grandad.'

  Andrew joined them and for a long time the three of them held each other, crying the tears only brothers in arms can cry.

  Composure came to them and they set about preparing Andrew for the trip. The Luger still had a clip and a half and he felt more comfortable handling it than the bulkier revolver. They packed the rucksack with bottled water, blankets, bandages and an assortment of medical scalpels, just in case. Thomas fitted the ring device and showed him the basic controls. He was clumsy at first, but soon he mastered the clicking movement which brought the change of image.

  George handed him the final grenade, but Andrew shook his head. 'For the gate,' he said, 'Besides, I'm more likely to blow my own hand off.'

  The computer voice announced there was ten minutes left until Gillians pod was fully disconnected.

  'I need to go before she wakes,' said Andrew, 'The less questions the better.'

  George nodded. 'What about Lizzy? Shall we take her back?'

  'No...leave her here. I need to say goodbye properly. Now is not the time.'

  He started crying again and George held him. 'Are you sure about this?' he said.

  'No, but I'm not sure I'm ready to go back either.'

  'Then I guess this is goodbye.' They broke their embrace and George held out his hand which Andrew shook, 'Good luck Andrew. I'm sure our paths will cross soon.'

  'Thanks George. Get that boy home safe.' He turned to Thomas who was already crying, 'You make sure your brother gets his mum back. You're a wise young man and I would be proud to call you my son.'

  Thomas hugged him hard, crying into his shoulder. 'You get Karen and come back. Don't take any risks.'

  Andrew picked up the rucksack and slid the Luger into his belt. He squeezed the Shimbala which brought the portal to shimmering life and turned back to face them. The medical lab already had a used, forgotten look to it, one which he knew would be hard to shake from his memories. George and Thomas looked at him expectantly and a frown creased his face. 'Do you think anything will ever be the same again?' he said.

  George smiled. 'After what we've seen? I doubt it.'

  'That's what I thought. Thanks for the ride boys! Be seeing ya.' He toggled the image until it landed upon a sunny beach scene, hitched the bag and moved to step through.

  'Wait!' said Thomas, 'How do you know if that's the right place?'

  Without turning Andrew answered. 'I don't,' he said, 'But it'll do for now.' Without another word, he stepped through, becoming a weird stop-motion figure on the gates surface. He turned, gave a brief wave and the portal clicked off, leaving them alone in the silent room with only the beeping of Gillian's pod for company.

  Part 5

  Homecoming

  1

  Short was pissed. She hated playing catchup and for the past seventy two hours, it seemed to be all she was doing. They'd extracted the Strutter male with relative ease and she'd had confirmation from Johnson he was secure at HQ. The cleanup team had also done its job of covering up any evidence of their involvement and removing both parents; a deceased seventy year old male and a comatose elderly female.

  All had been going swimmingly, but then the wheels began to fall off. It started with the hastily assembled backup team that, through miscommunication from HQ and complete ineptitude from certain team members, had traveled to the wrong rendezvous point; delaying the mission by nearly twenty hours. At one point she'd considered travelling to the new set of coordinates with just her driver, but considering the sensitivity of the mission, common sense had prevailed and they had met the backup team on the outskirts of Salisbury.

  It wasn't just the delays that were pissing her off. The sensitive equipment they used to detect activity between Shael and Earth had got some particularly strong readings from a set of coordinates on the Dorset/Somerset border. The problem was, the readings had been fluctuating as if someone was turning it on and off, like a light switch.

  The equipment they used had been designed and tested at a lab in their main facility. It had proved particularly useful in tracking a number of Shael 'travellers'; the most recent of which was Strutter. Once a person 'travelled' they left a residue which the equipment picked up on. Short was no scientist, she was the blunt end, sent out to 'collect' these so called travellers. All she knew was this residue would fade over time, giving her a short window - usually no more than two days - to find their prey. These new readings however, were different. It was so strong it sent the detection equipment into overdrive, then it would just disappear. It had spiked about six times, died for a number of hours and then thankfully for the last two hours, had stayed on. They had narrowed the coordinates down, but it was still a frustratingly large 20 mile search radius. Short was anxious that if the signal died again, they would come to a dead end.

  The three black Land Rovers were currently skirting the outskirts of Blandford and heading for the Dorset county border. She'd made the decision to stick predominantly to back roads and avoid the main A303. The rationale being, at this time of year and fast approaching evening rush hour, they would
make better time. The problem was, they were making good time towards an unknown destination.

  Her iPhone buzzed in her hand; sweaty from a combination of late afternoon heat and anxiety. 'This is Short,' she said.

  The voice on the other end was male, abrupt and clearly not happy. 'Do we have an update yet?'

  'Yes sir,' she said bristling at the abruptness, 'We are still picking up the signal, but the strength is making it hard to pinpoint the exact location.'

  'How narrow is the search radius?'

  'Twenty miles sir.'

  'Short. That's far too wide. If we lose that signal it'll be like looking for a needle in a haystack.'

  'I understand that sir, but the equipment doesn't seem to be handling the power.'

  'It doesn't make a lot of sense,' he said, 'The way it's been phasing in and out suggests it's something we haven't seen before. What's Erickson saying.'

  Erickson was the technician assigned to the backup team and the one that had earlier sent them to the wrong location. Needless to say, Short didn't have a lot of faith in anything Erickson had to offer. 'He has attempted to realign the sensor and thinks he could give us a more accurate location if we were closer to the signal source.'

  'And what do you think about that?'

  'Honestly sir? I think Erickson is full of shit. We've never encountered something like this before. On this occasion I believe the equipment is unfortunately redundant.'

  'On this occasion I am forced to agree with you. Do we have a backup plan? What's your current location?'

  'We are cutting across country. A354 about 45 minutes from Dorchester. The search area is relatively remote, mainly small villages sandwiched between two larger towns.'

  'What villages?'

  'Bunch of weird sounding ones: Cerne Abbas, Middlemarsh, Holnest, Minterne Magna, Meadowbank, Batcome, Hermitage. They're some of the bigger ones, but it's quite spaced out.'

  'Did you say Meadowbank?'

  'Yes sir. Are you familiar with it?'

  'It was before my time, but if memory serves, we had a lot of interest in Meadowbank. In the early days anyway.'