Salby Damned

by Ian D. Moore

  ***

  In his office, Major Sower reviewed the plans for the operation the following morning, checking and double-checking each detail to be sure nothing had been overlooked. There was a tap at his door.

  “Come in,” he said, curtly.

  “Good evening, Sir, I wondered if you had a minute please?” said Corporal Simms.

  She entered fully, striding towards his desk and stopping short with a smart salute to the senior officer.

  “Of course, Corporal, of course, please sit,” he replied, nodding to acknowledge her salute and gesturing towards the chair opposite him.

  “It could be something, Sir, or it could be nothing,” she began, “but through the day, I’ve noticed one of the SGFC employees behaving oddly. I think his name is Colin, Colin Snape, Sir.”

  “Go on, go on, Corporal. What exactly have you seen?”

  “Well, firstly, I'd gone to check on Sergeant Cross to tell him of the meeting, but he was asleep at the time. I noticed what appeared to be a laptop computer, with the letters GFC written on it, tucked between the blankets. I thought no more of it, assuming it to be his wife’s machine and her initials. It was only some time later that it dawned on me, the significance of the letters–SGFC.” She looked apologetically at the officer, who urged her to continue with a nod.

  “Shortly afterwards, I noticed Mr. Snape wandering around pretty aimlessly, that was, until he reached the dorm hangar. Then, he disappeared from view for almost a minute before standing, apparently holding his stomach, and exiting the hangar. I'm pretty sure that he took the laptop, Sir, but I don't know why.”

  “How interesting, Corporal. Anything else?”

  “A few hours later, I spotted Mr. Snape again, Sir. He was acting very suspiciously, moving around the parade ground entrance area, stopping to make notes and loitering near vehicles from time to time. To me, it looked like he was trying to find a pattern of movements and timings at the base. It seemed a very odd thing for him to be doing, Sir,” she concluded.

  “Indeed, Corporal, indeed. It must be the second of the two laptops. Dr. Shepherd has already handed in the first to the tech lads for examination. Could be that the one taken by Mr. Snape has incriminating evidence on it. He will likely have it hidden away somewhere, intent on erasing the data. Do you think he could be planning to force his way off the base, Corporal?” he asked, seeking her professional opinion.

  “It is a possibility, Sir, but it seems extreme and full of danger with the current situation. What would you have me do, Sir?”

  “Keep a close eye on him for now, but don’t let him know that you’re watching him. Let’s see what he does. He seems to be a bit of a character does Mr. Snape, and I wouldn’t reckon on his chances of surviving long with what’s out there. Snape could also choose to simply destroy the laptop; he may be looking for a way to do that. I'm not sure, but well done, Corporal. I’ll pass on your information to the C.O. If he attempts to leave in the meantime, you have my permission to use any means necessary to prevent him, including the use of lethal force. Was there anything else?”

  “No, Sir. Thank you,” she said.

  Corporal Simms stood, pushing the chair back in place before performing a rigid salute, a 180-degree-regimented turn, and a walk to the door.

  Major Sower thought about the young corporal. She was a great asset to the base and her skills seemed to be growing. He would speak to Richard and stop by the tech lab boys to see if they'd reached any conclusion about the first laptop. Whether the second one, the one in which Mr. Snape clearly had a strong interest, could shed any light on why the now deceased Mr. Garrett had disobeyed direct ministerial instructions, was open to conjecture.

  Major Sower locked away the files he'd been using in the grey metal filing cabinet, which stood in the corner of his office, and made his way to the office of Lieutenant Colonel Connell.

  The major had much to contemplate, conference with his superior would allow him to bounce theories between them, and Richard might think of something that he hadn’t. Despite the hour, he would not be the only one discussing the events of this night.

  By that hour, the majority of the selected military personnel were already catching some overdue sleep so Lieutenant Colonel Connell used the time to go over to the communications centre. It was a highly classified area, with entry restricted to security cleared operational personnel only.

  Using the military Ptarmigan multi-scrambled, high-tech radio equipment, he was able to send data from the scientists, as well as a report with the information Dr. Shepherd had briefed at the meeting. It would help other bases to defend themselves against the never-ending onslaught of the infected. He thanked the radio operators before leaving the brick building, on top of which stood an elaborate array of antennae, varying in shapes and height, all intricately laced into the communications network system.

  Turning left from the building, back towards the main offices before he retired for some rest, he noticed Major Sower coming towards him.

  “Paul,” he said, greeting the officer.

  “Richard, some news I think you need to know. I can see you are in a hurry so I'll get straight to the point.”

  The two officers spoke in hushed tones. Paul explained to Richard, bringing him up to speed on the information that had come to light from Corporal Simms.

  “Well, that is interesting news. What could possibly be so important on that laptop? Provided he doesn't do anything too drastic, if we get the machine, we'll still be able to read it, even if he does a delete. Let’s see what he does before we act further. I suspect that this may be bigger than Snape. He may be able to lead us to the bigger fish, Major.”

  “You know, I never thought of that Richard. I may need to sleep; my old brain is tired. That’s what it is,” the major said.

  He walked with his old friend towards the cookhouse, intent on some coffee. Both men glanced fleetingly in recognition at the two SGFC employees, seated just inside the doors, clearly embroiled in one another.

  ***

  As they stood to clear the plates after their meal, the atmosphere around them could almost be physically touched; the coming meeting between Meriam and Colin played heavily on her mind.

  Brian took the plates to be scraped, seeing that small gesture as something that he could do, but he felt otherwise useless and couldn't lift her mood. The cookhouse was quiet but he sensed that something was happening. There were people coming and going with purpose, preparing for an operation.

  Brian took Meriam by the hand, not caring who might see, and they walked slowly through the crowd of uniformed bodies until they reached the canvas pulled back at the entrance. They turned left towards the main brick buildings, intending to see Lieutenant Colonel Connell.

  As they approached the main doors, Brian touched the rectangular metal object in his pocket, making sure it was still there. He pulled the door wide, holding it open for Meriam to pass through before the pneumatic arms swished to gently close it behind them.

  They saw Corporal Simms first, walking towards them, clutching an armful of files and folders, wrestling with them in a battle against the forces of balance and gravity.

  “Can I help you?” she said, pushing a wayward file back into line.

  “We’d like to see the lieutenant colonel immediately, umm ... if possible, please,” Brian said boldly.

  “I’m afraid he’s in a meeting at the moment, sir. Not sure how long it will be. Is it important?”

  “Yes. What about the major? Is he available now?”

  “I’m afraid not, sir, he’s attending the same meeting. It could be awhile, I’m afraid. Can I help you in any way?”

  “We need to get this to him urgently,” Brian replied. He dug into his pocket, grabbing the component before passing the flat, box-shaped metal object to the corporal.

  “Would you be sure that he gets it as soon as he returns from the meeting?” he added.

  “I will, sir, would you mind?” she said, twisting her r
ight leg out.

  Her eyes urged him to pop the button on her lightweight trouser leg pocket and place it in there for her, given the precarious hold she had on the files and papers. Brian flicked the button of the pocket through, pulling up the over-flap, and with a final look at the flat, aluminium case, he dropped it inside and then buttoned up the pocket.

  “Thank you, Corporal, please be sure that he gets it. I think it could be very important. I will try to find him after the meeting to explain further,” he added.

  Brian looked at Meriam, who nodded in agreement, as he spoke to the corporal. Brian held the office door open for her, and the corporal thanked him, adding an assurance that she would give the box to the C.O. at the earliest opportunity. The door hissed closed behind her and she was gone.

  Brian turned to Meriam and took her hand, squeezing it gently, knowing that they would have to return to the main residential block and she would have to endure the unwanted attentions of her boss, alone. She knew it too.

  “I'll be fine,” she said, already able to see the concern in his face.

  Her statement was bold to match her tone, as much to reassure herself as him. They walked in silence to the residential block, up the winding stairs, and never once parted hands. Before reaching his door, he kissed her softly, though it tore him to pieces to know that she would have to go into that room. She knocked.

  “Meriam,” Snape announced, smirking as he opened the door, retaining his grip on the handle as she passed him. He followed with, “Come in, come in, I’ve been expecting you. Please sit down. Would you like something to drink? I managed to find a cook willing to part with a couple of bottles of beer for the right price.”

  “No thank you. Maybe, on second thoughts, yes, as you did so well to get hold of these,” she said, flattering the man’s ego as she took the bottle.

  “You’ll have to crack it on the edge of the drawers; bottle openers are hard to come by here. Well, let’s get down to business, shall we?” he leered, stroking her hand.

  Meriam panicked, having to place the bottle of beer on the top of the small chest of drawers to prevent from spilling it. She took two long, deep breaths in through her nose, exhaled slowly, and waited for the composure to return.

  Come on, you can do this. Pull yourself together, girl.

  “Honey, are you alright? Meriam?” he queried, seeing her looking a little pale.

  “I am fine,” Meriam said, stronger now, “It’s very warm in here. Would you mind if I open a window?”

  “No, of course not, would you like me to see to it?”

  “No, Colin, it’s okay. I’ll use the bathroom if I may and then we can continue. I won’t be a minute,” she said, rising quickly.

  She moved quickly towards the window, pushing it open, eager to feel the cool night air on her skin. Without a word, she turned and pushed the door to the bathroom wide before closing it behind her. She walked towards the small white basin, filled it with cold water, and cupped her hands, bringing them to her face.

  “Damn it, Meriam pull yourself together, woman, you’re going to blow it if you’re not careful,” she whispered.

  She scolded herself in the mirror as the droplets of water trickled back into the basin from her cheeks. Using toilet roll to dry the remaining moisture away and adjusting her hair, she opened the door to find Snape sitting on the edge of the bed, busily pressing the keyboard of a laptop computer.

  “Where did you get that?” she asked, trying to sound surprised.

  “I liberated it from the dorm hangar,” Snape replied. “It is password-locked and someone has tried to access it a few times already. I think it’s the machine assigned to Garrett, the chief wellhead foreman. I didn’t know he was smart enough to password-protect anything, bumbling idiot. I should never have trusted him to do anything. He couldn’t tie his own shoelaces without written instructions.”

  “Colin, what do you mean? Trusted him to do what?”

  “For now, the less you know the better. When we are far away from here, sipping cocktails on a beach, I’ll tell you all about it then,” he said, sidestepping her question as he snapped the laptop lid closed.

  “You’ve a plan then, to get us out of here?” she asked, feigning innocence to push him to share his thoughts with her.

  “I’ve to do some more spying first, but I think I have an idea, yes. Do you have any idea what password Garrett would use? What’s the most likely thing? Isn’t there anything on his personnel file, something relevant perhaps?”

  “I have copies of the file in my room. I’ll go check it out and see what I can find,” she said, grateful for the excuse to leave.

  “I could come too; save you coming back here,” he offered, keen to see the file himself.

  “No, it’s fine. I’ll just be a minute, Colin, and then I’ll be back. I need an early night tonight. I’m exhausted after everything that has happened. Let me go and see now as it is getting late,” Meriam said, standing to walk to the door.

  Colin pushed himself up, grabbing her left arm and pulling her around to face him. Before she could react, he had put his arm around her waist, and she felt his mouth against hers, tasting the beer he had drunk.

  She pushed hard into his chest, forcing him backwards, regretting the move almost as quickly as she had done it.

  “What’s the matter? You’ve been acting very strange all night, is something wrong?”

  “I, I’m sorry, you caught me by surprise then. It’s just, well, you’re my boss after all, and it’s kind of a cliché. I guess it’s taking a little time to get used to seeing you as a lover instead of head honcho,” Meriam said, thinking on her feet. Colin smiled at the comment.

  God, he thinks I just complimented him. What a piece of slime he is.

  Across the hallway, Brian paced his room; he couldn’t sit still, knowing she was there with him.

  Don’t be silly, you fool, she loves you not him, trust her! But what if he ...

  He paced some more and would have paced all night except that Meriam burst through the door, slamming it behind her. She felt sick, physically sick, and rushed to the bathroom to swill out her mouth.

  “He kissed me, Brian; the asshole grabbed me and kissed me!”

  “Oh, baby, come here, I’m so sorry. This is getting out of hand. We need to act before he tries something terrible. I’m terrified of him hurting you for I’d surely kill him!”

  “No, no, you mustn’t, not yet. We’ve come this far, and he’s almost ready to tell me his plan. Then we can use it to bargain our way out of trouble. We could be free of him soon. How about a fresh start, some place new?”

  He wiped a tear from her cheek and, pushing the hair from her eyes, kissed her softly.

  “How did you manage to get out of there?”

  “He started talking about something he was into with Garrett. He’s up to his neck in something big, Brian. He went on about the laptop being password-protected, and I said there might be a clue in the personnel files. I have copies of the ones I gave to the colonel.”

  “Ah. I see, I think. You told him you’d go and find the file?”

  “Yes. He wanted to come with me, but I managed to dissuade him. I just need him to tell me his escape plan, that’s all, and then you can take him apart in strips for all I care. Can I sleep here with you tonight? I need you near me, need to feel you close to me.”

  “Yes, of course, you don’t need to ask.”

  “I best go, I won’t be long, just going to give him what he wants, and then I'm leaving,” she said, with conviction.

  “Don’t forget the files. Here, I’ll come with you for moral support.”

  They left quietly, and as Meriam found the files and walked towards Snape's room, Brian watched helplessly as she knocked again on his door. He'd stay close by, in case Meriam needed him.

  Snape didn’t come to the door this time, but instead shouted for Meriam to enter. He was in the bathroom when she entered the room, and when he appeared, she noticed tha
t the laptop was missing from the bed and the covers were neatly folded back.

  He'd taken off his shirt and suit trousers, revealing his slight frame. His skin was lily-white and he looked skeletal; even his shorts waged an invisible war with gravity and were struggling to keep a grip on his hips.

  “Ah, you got the files. Good girl. Just put them on the side there, sweetheart,” he said, pointing to the small bedside chest.

  “Do you want to freshen up?” Meriam knew what he was thinking, only it wasn't what she was thinking.

  “I can’t stay, Colin, sorry. I’m dead beat tonight and don’t think I’d be good company. You’ll want to look through the files, no doubt, and I really need my bed.”

  He looked disappointed but said, simply and surprisingly, “I understand. We’ll have plenty of time once we’re out of here, probably the day after tomorrow. One more day of scouting should do it.”

  “Day after tomorrow, right, I’ll make sure I’m set. I’ll leave you to it for tonight. If you need any help tomorrow, come and give me a shout,” she said and pulled away from the bed to turn to leave.

  Summoning up every ounce of willpower, she turned around and bent forward, knowing that he could see down her top. She placed her arms around his shoulders and kissed him, making sure to keep her lips part closed.

  “Goodnight. I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said and left.

  Closing his door, she stood outside for just a minute to regain her composure. She felt dirty inside and out; everything about the man was just wrong.

  Meriam pushed open the door to Brian’s room. A small reading lamp was lit but he wasn’t there. She walked into the bathroom to find him running a hot bath, complete with bubbles, and he’d found a candle from somewhere too. How did he manage that? Meriam thought.

  It was exactly what she needed, to scrub herself clean and to be with him. Brian came to her, kissed her mouth and neck, and started undoing the buttons of her blouse, sliding it off her shoulders to the floor. He unzipped her skirt at the back, letting it fall where she stood. Meriam stepped sideways out of the crumpled garment, pressing her body into him as her hands unbuttoned the shirt he wore, now needing to feel him skin-on-skin.