by Andy McNab
Dig I did, because this was the only method of entry I’d been able to think of that meant no tracks in the grass or any perimeter intruder-detection systems being activated. I’d land outside the shutters of the outbuilding and see and do whatever I could. Maybe I’d be able to get inside, check it out, even into the tunnel. I wouldn’t know until this thing got me there – and out again. I double-checked my phone. I’d tapped James’s number into WhatsApp and done the same into his Samsung so he’d know who was calling. I wanted him to answer and get me out as soon as possible once I was done down there.
The high-pitched buzz of the drone got louder and I could soon feel the gentle downdraught from its six rotors.
James got me to pull the belt up from behind my head so it was tight around my chest and under my armpits, and produced a loop of belt for the drone’s claws to grab. I looked up, and it was now no more than two metres above me. The eagle’s legs and claws were extended and ready to grip its prey as it very slowly descended so it could grip the belt and take the slack. Then I could let my hands go free. Meanwhile, James moved the lens around, and its electrical pitch changed as it went up and down, 360 degrees, as James gave me one last piece of detail. I liked detail.
‘If you want to abort your ride at any stage, for any reason, just keep waving your hands above your head. No cell, you might drop it. Got it, dude?’
‘Got it.’
A second later the belt got even tighter round my chest and under my arms and the drone lifted me above the height of the 4x4. It moved forward, and I instinctively grabbed the webbing each side behind my head, as if that would stabilize me. But after the initial shock of being airborne, the dominant feeling was almost excitement. The drone slowed, I guessed as James checked the route, and we cleared some trees by just a few feet. It came down lower and flew between the next set. I was glad he didn’t decide to overfly everything, not that the distance of the fall made much difference, I supposed. It was making contact with the ground that did the damage. I was still high enough for a malfunction to kill me, but staying at just above tree height made the whole experience feel strangely thrilling as the wind rushed past my face.
Eventually the dark shapes of Sanctuary’s zinc rooftops came into sight, then the outbuilding. The drone turned as James steered me towards it. My mega Alton Towers experience was soon over, and I was looking forward to the return trip.
Back in the real world, I switched on. Something ahead caught my eye. A gentle red glow, just enough to be seen as I got to maybe twenty metres away. It pulsated on the outbuilding, probably at about gutter height.
Ten metres away now, slightly higher than the building, and the drone began to slow. I checked above me. The camera was looking to my half-right, trying to find a way of skirting the building to get to the dead side for the shuttering and the concrete pad.
The red glow kept pulsing and I had to make the decision. There was no way of knowing what the glow was about. Why would it be there? The one undeniable fact was that the light was there for a purpose. And red to me was a warning: it could have been linked to something that normally wouldn’t be checked inside the building, and this was an external indicator. A build-up of gases, maybe, or something had overflowed, perhaps not rebooted. But it could also be a warning not to go further: We’ve got you. We see you. Stuff is going to happen.
Like an external sounder and strobe clearly visible on the outside of a house: would you really take the chance of it being a dummy unless it was worth it? For me, for now, landing on the concrete was a risk not worth taking. That wasn’t to say I wasn’t frustrated, and the journey back was less exciting than I’d been hoping.
I waved my hands above my head. The drone stopped dead and I dangled for a second or two before it turned.
Ten minutes later, James was lowering me next to the 4x4. My tiptoes touched the ground, and then I was down. Jamie attended to the drone as its claws released me and the strain from the webbing fell away from me. The belt hit the dirt and I kicked it off.
James still had his eyes on the console but managed a smile. ‘Hey, I thought you were enjoying it, man. You were almost there.’
‘There was a light – maybe an alarm. I couldn’t risk it. Bit of a waste.’
James had rested the beast and joined me. ‘No problem, dude. We’ve got Zombie Town to check out – plus it’s not chasing those fucking gulls, is it, man?’
I had to join in the laughter.
‘Will you guys be seeing Mr Egbers or talking to him about tonight?’
‘Sure. He’s due to call tomorrow. You want us to speak to him tonight and say what happened?’
‘Thanks. Tell him about the alarm – it’s a good thing I noticed. Can you also tell him I should have the UK calls organized by tomorrow? I’ll let him know when.’
‘Sure, man.’
As I opened the door of the Toyota, James shouted, ‘Maybe see you in Zombie Town! Remember, if they come for you, just take them out with the car. They bounce real easy.’
I left the two of them to fantasize about destroying the population of Queenstown and headed back towards what I supposed was going to be a very dark hotel room.
Part Five
* * *
31
Sunday, 2 December 2018
I sat facing the hotel bed, as if I was waiting for Parmesh to holoport into view again. He wouldn’t have been on the end of the bed this time, though. My mobile sat there, ready for the conference call with the three in the team and, of course, their project manager.
And I was about to betray all the trust they had in me. Was I any different from the bankers who had crushed my dad, all smiles in the light, but in the dark a very different agenda? What could I do but suck it up and get on with it? Besides, this was about giving them something, not taking it away. Well, maybe their lives if it all went wrong. But I cut that thought out of my head very quickly because that just wasn’t going to happen.
Egbers was on the settee, really close to me. He had moved from his normal side to the other to escape the sunlight pushing through the window. I knew, because he had told me, what I could and couldn’t say to get them down here, but he was going to stay just to make sure.
I’d been getting through the bottled water from the minibar while waiting as I kept running through my lie – or what I had decided to call my ‘sales pitch’. I kept telling myself I’d done this hundreds of times before when trying to win contracts. All I had to do was take out the real emotion, and make sure I gave them a very excited James, who just wanted his old friends to have a share in his good fortune.
It shouldn’t be hard, I kept telling myself. I actually did want them to share in the good fortune – if it really existed. Just like my family and me, they had also suffered during the crisis and all we could do was try to help each other. That was how my head was trying to justify pulling them into this. But what if it actually worked? That really would be helping each other out of the shit.
My mobile rang. Charlotte had called me into the group. For whatever reason, I checked first with Egbers if I should answer or not. His answer was a bored flick of the hand.
I put it on speakerphone. A jumble of voices jumped in at different times, cutting across each other with their greetings. Finally it was Charlotte, all chirpy but taking control, of course.
‘Good morning!’
It was in Queenstown. It was 7 p.m. where they were.
‘Okay, we’re all here. I thought if James just elaborates on what I told everyone about the job, we can ask questions after that. Sound good?’
Three yups, and it was clear from the varying quality of the voices they were all in different locations.
‘Okay, good morning. First of all, just to make you really jealous, the sun’s out today, well, every day, and it really would be great to see you all down here. As you know, I’ve been coming and going from here for the last seven years and a job’s come up out of the blue. It’s to sort out a cock-up of a new house-bui
ld. A big one – seven hundred and eighty square metres.’
That drew a whistle from Tony. Houses, generally, are getting smaller. The average UK home is about 76 square metres and has 4.8 rooms. This place was ten times bigger.
‘I know, more like a hotel. It’s the same old story – contractors going out of business, bad subbies, not enough quality control. Anyway, I don’t know if there were backhanders involved, but it was all signed off. The owner is a friend of my boss down here and he doesn’t want to move in until it’s put right. He’s suing individuals, suing firms, all the normal good-ideas-gone-bad stuff, same as it happens where we are. But he clearly isn’t short of a few quid and is willing to throw money at it. He just wants the problems to go away.’
I let it hang for a second or two, just enough time to sink in but not enough to ask questions.
‘So I suggested there should be an objective team to survey the problem. Otherwise, if money was just going to be thrown at it, firms would come up with massive quotes that wouldn’t necessarily make good the job. I said I could get people down here who’d be able to look at the work and know how to get it sorted. He almost kissed me.’
I pushed straight on. I knew I mustn’t give them any time to start talking or thinking about anything other than what I was telling them. ‘So what I was thinking was that, Tony, you take a look at the electrical system. It’s a complete mess. They want a new plan of what they can keep, what they need replacing.
‘As for some of the structural work, they’d have done better with Lego. I told them I knew someone who knows what’s what. But the real reason I thought of you, Gemma, was because there’s rugby on the telly twenty-four/seven down here.’
Gemma had to laugh. Everyone did. We all knew that would have been the first thing she thought about when Charlotte mentioned New Zealand.
‘You, Warren, came to mind because everything about the aesthetics, the tiling, the veneers, the plastering, has been slapped on by subbies who are basically pirates in both senses of the word – rip-off work, and they obviously had hooks instead of hands.’
There was a little laughter, but that was okay. I’d wanted to keep it light until now.
‘So, look, he’s offering fifty grand each, sterling, cash in hand, for maybe two to three weeks at the most. Report what you see, and say how to fix it. Then we’re done and back for Christmas.’
I’d been keeping my eyes on Egbers, who hadn’t reacted to anything I’d said so far. Why would he? It was all lies he had agreed to anyway.
I knew they liked the sound of it because there was no reaction from any of them. If I was in their situation, my mind would be running down the list of debts that could be paid off.
‘Like Charlotte said, we’re talking business seats return, food, accommodation – plus Queenstown is great, and the rugby’s still on. Guys, I need you here. What do you think?’
Gemma was first off the blocks. ‘I’m in. Where do I sign?’ I was sure she could hear my sigh of relief, but that wasn’t a bad thing. I kept my eyes on Egbers.
‘Charlotte’s going to sort out the flights, everything your end. No need for work visas. Just come in on a tourist visa – if anyone asks, you’re going to see the Lord of the Rings locations, all that sort of tourist thing, and you’re here for three weeks.’
Nobody balked at that: it went with cash-in-hand. The black economy had been part of the construction trade ever since the first caveman had called in the decorators.
There was still no reaction from Egbers. Why would there be?
‘How do we get paid, mate? I trust you, but …’
Warren had a mortgage, wife, 2.4 kids, and a green Citroën people-carrier on finance. I had to overcome his negativity fast. He was a good mate, but could always be counted on to look at the downside. ‘Melancholic’ would be the polite word. I gave myself a big smile and took my eyes away from Egbers. ‘Not a problem, mate. I get it. Tell you what, I’ll tell him everyone needs ten upfront. That way, if you don’t like the feel of it when you come down here, at least you’ve had a nice trip and got some spending cash. We’ve never let each other down, have we?’
‘True.’
I checked with Egbers, who gave a nod. I felt pleased with myself for coming up with an answer to satisfy both of them, but deep down I knew the money was much more about soothing my guilt. These people – or at least one of them so far – would have to be told the truth eventually.
There was still nothing from the last member of the team.
‘Tony, it must be tough … you know, Maureen. I’m so sorry.’
‘Thanks, son. A sad day, but it wasn’t unexpected. She’d suffered a lot. Anyway, fifty K, you say?’
‘Yep. Not bad, eh? All you need to do is what you’ve done all your life. Suck your teeth, shake your head and moan about the state of the wiring.’
It got the biggest laugh so far.
‘On the plus side, there’s no need to bring your wellies. There’s no mud down here, mate. The sun’s out – did I mention that?’
He ummed and aahed a bit. ‘I’ve never been further than Spain. So, why not?’
‘Ha, why not indeed?’
I had to move this on, for two reasons. First, I needed them here as soon as possible. Second, the more I had to talk this up, the bigger the punch would be when I’d got them down here and they learnt the truth.
‘Great. Charlotte will sort tickets and organize cash to you once you give her your account details. It’s going to be great …’
32
The Brit had joined Egbers and they’d set up the holoport equipment again. When Parmesh had said we’d be talking to each other a lot, I hadn’t expected to be doing it like this. I was just too old-school.
Parmesh wanted updates from me. So, as before, I sat on a chair facing the end of the bed. At exactly the allotted time, as I put on my goggles, Parmesh appeared, just about to sit down in front of me. He had a different sweater on, blue this time, but there was no high-five attempt. His smile, however, was as big as always.
‘They have not got the glitch sorted out yet, James, but soon. Soon.’ His tone switched from happy to very happy. ‘We have got good news, I hear?’
‘Yep. They’re all onboard – well, they’re onboard with what I’ve told them. But how it’s going to pan out once they know what they’re really coming down here for … well, not exactly what they’re doing, but enough to get them doing it … I don’t know what the reaction will be.’
Egbers and the Brit were both with me this time and had taken their places on the settee.
Parmesh’s mind was on other things.
‘Do you trust them, James? Do you trust them with your life?’
I wasn’t sure where this was going. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he did know what the two Templars got up to. Was this the moment they swapped roles and he was the one who issued threats? Had I got the dynamics wrong between these three?
‘Yep.’
Parmesh put his forearms on his thighs as he leant in, listening intently. His eyes didn’t blink as they stared into mine, and he nodded along with every bit of sentence I spoke.
‘All their families suffered during the crisis. We all have that bond, trying to help each other out during that time, so, yeah, I do, I trust them.’
Then the thought pushed into my head: I wondered if that would be reciprocated when they found out I’d brought them down here on a lie.
Parmesh’s expression was still intense. ‘That is good, James. That is really good – and deep. I know you will have no problem at all convincing them if you have hope in the future and believe, deep down, that what you are doing is right. It is not about the money – it is about making a better world. I have faith in you, James. You will come through for us, no doubt about it.’
His arms waved in the air, like an evangelical preacher’s. But he couldn’t have been praying to a god because he didn’t have one. They didn’t even have a pope yet. That was what this was all about. It was wha
t at least two men had already been killed for.
‘I will try, Parmesh – I really will try.’
I had to bite my lip to stop myself asking what would become of them if they refused. I had to ensure I picked my battles, and so far, making a copy of whatever was in that ledger was my only battle winner. Not just for my family, but the team’s families now – if it came to that. I still kept just a little bit of brain power aside that said maybe all would be good and that we would even get our money.
I pushed on: ‘Charlotte’s also onboard. I need a project manager, someone to organize and carry out research if need be.’
Parmesh seemed surprisingly happy about such a small thing. ‘That is so cool! This really is a family affair, is it not? I like it!’
He turned to the other two. ‘Hello there, gentlemen. You hear that? Charlotte is on Team Sanctuary.’
The pair of them jumped to their feet to acknowledge their invisible boss, then resumed their seats.
Parmesh turned back to me. ‘So is Charlotte going to Queenstown?’
‘She doesn’t need to. It’s just the three skills I need here. Besides, I’m not sure she can be apart from her dogs for more than a couple of hours.’
I was making light of it, but there was no way I wanted her down here. I wanted her in York. Apart from keeping her out of harm’s way, there was Mum to think about.
Parmesh was genuinely disappointed. ‘That is such a shame, James. It would have been so cool to meet her. Even if we could not high-five.’
I joined in with his laughter but was puzzled. Why did he keep asking about her? Just because he was weird? Thankfully, his weirdness had kept him focused and driven him. It could have taken him to its darker side and had him bouncing around out of control.
