Occupation

by Dave Lacey

  And he refers to himself in the third person. Excellent.

  “Erm, I’m not totally certain that’s a good idea, Duke,” Jack began. “You see, I have a feeling that Duke, or Duke’s men, might kill me if I do that. And Jack wouldn’t like that.”

  “Duke’ll cut your fucking balls off, little boy. Now, or later, it matters little to me.” Jack rolled his eyes as he listened to Duke. He had to figure out how to get Millie, and the case. But, as Duke seemed not to give too much of a shit about those in his gang, the answer eluded him.

  Millie looked tired and bruised, though it was hard to be certain. The light was poor up top.

  “Duke looks like a proper dick,” Jack said to Debbie, who had ended up close by.

  “You have no idea.” She half grimaced, half smiled. Jack shook his head. His mind was roiling, searching for a way out for them all.

  “So what happens next, Duke?” Jack shouted, trying to buy time. There was a moment’s silence, then came the response.

  “I kill you and fuck you, or fuck you and kill you. Whatever’s easier.” His voice boomed around the large space. “But, in a minute, I’m going to throw your little friend off this balcony.” The very sentiment Jack had been dreading. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. Duke had only kept Millie alive should this moment arise.

  “Maybe we can deal?” Jack shouted, more in hope than expectation. He heard scuffling from near the escalators. Another dread he had harboured. He guessed Smithy was trying to fight free of his comrades.

  “What would you have that I want, little man?” Duke called, more conversational this time. Maybe there was a chance.

  “I don’t know, you tell me. But nothing’s off the table,” Jack shouted. There was more of a ruckus from near the escalator. Smithy was a hard man to keep down. Jack sneaked a look to see what was happening. There came the sound of stifled whispers, and maybe some cursing. Jack smiled, in spite of the situation.

  “Cheap words, little man, cheap words.” There was a pause, and some muffled shouting from up top. Jack craned his neck round the edge of the ticket stall, spying on the group upstairs. They were dragging Millie to the edge of the balustrade. Then Duke gave a command, and they paused. He turned and addressed the gathering below. “What’s in the case?” Duke called, his face full of curiosity, or that’s what it looked like among the madness.

  “You can have it, Duke. You can have everything that’s in it.” Jack answered. “What’s in it?” Duke called.

  Jack thought furiously, trying to think what would appeal to him most. He licked his lips, his eyes moving quickly in their sockets as he sought for the answer. “Drugs, and explosives. But it’s booby trapped.” Jack said, licking his cracked lips. He squeezed his eyes shut as he dreaded having made the wrong move. The wait seemed to go on forever, and his breath stuck in his chest. He couldn’t bear to look up again in case they were continuing with their plan to launch his sister off the mezzanine. His mind taunted him as he sat, mute. They don’t believe you. You picked the wrong things, and now she’s going to die. Over and over the words played, until Duke spoke again.

  “I thought as much, that’s why the case remains closed. What drugs?” Duke called.

  Jack allowed himself a brief smile. “Opium, and some medicines.”

  “Where did the opium come from?” Duke asked.

  “The same place as the medicines. A hospital.”

  “All the hospitals are empty. Everyone knows that,” Duke called. But there was doubt in his voice, Jack could hear it.

  “Not all of them. And some have storage depots underground, that’s where this came from. We have a supply.” Jack’s confidence was growing in the lie.

  “Where?” Duke asked, totally engrossed now. “And what are you doing here, in the south? You’re not from the south,” Duke said, doubt creeping in again.

  Not as dumb as he looks, Jack thought. “We were looking for other communities. There are plans,” Jack offered, growing into the role of the provocateur.

  “What plans, what other communities?”

  “There are plans, plans for a revolt. We wanted to find other communities, other people. We wanted to get as many together as we could.”

  “Well, you did that,” Duke chuckled, though Jack didn’t consider it too friendly.

  Jack looked around him. Where had Debbie gone?

  “And when is this…fight back?” Duke asked, derision in his tone.

  “We have much to do. There are many people to recruit,” Jack said, almost believing it himself now. “I guess you’re out then?” he asked Duke, smiling as he said it.

  Duke laughed. “Too fucking right, little man. I still mean to kill you. And your little dog too.” Duke indicated Millie. “And I want the contents of the case.” Duke finished.

  “How are we going to do this?” Jack shouted, as Debbie crawled along the floor to him. As Duke pondered this for a moment, Jack gave Debbie a searching look.

  “There’s another access to the upstairs,” she whispered. “Over there.” She pointed to a door cut out of the tiled wall. “It goes up a flight of stairs to the mezzanine, and it comes out behind them,” she finished, smiling and blushing.

  Jack winked and smiled too. “Great. He’s going to ask me to go upstairs via the escalator. I’m going to herd his people into one corner, and keep them covered. I’m going to tell Bill and his group to come over here, to you,” Jack whispered, his eyes never leaving those of the woman in front of him. “Tell Bill about the staircase. Tell him to get into position. I’ll go up the stairs on the pretence of opening the case for him.” Debbie was nodding.

  “There’s about six people up there with him. Bill and his guys should be able to come up behind them. When I’m in position, Bill and his posse can press some steel against the necks of our friends. Then I can grab Millie and the case and head back down here.” Jack finished. His last two sentences had come in a rush, and he leaned back to get his breath.

  “How do Bill and his team get out of there without Duke turning on them?” Debbie asked.

  Jack shrugged. “That’s up to him, I can’t think of everything.” He smiled and leant forward to kiss her on the cheek. “See you later, toots.” Jack slid back to his cover behind the ticket turnstile. Duke was still conferring with his team members up top. “What do you say, Duke?” Jack called to him.

  “You come up here. Alone. Your friend goes down, you stay. You open the case. If Duke is happy, Duke might let you go too.”

  Maybe something’ll go right today, Jack thought to himself. He pushed himself slowly to his feet, and moved into full view of the group at the top of the escalator. He tilted his head back and raised his eyebrows at Bill as he stopped level with him. Bill came out from his cover and approached him.

  “What’s your plan?” Bill asked as he reached Jack’s side. Bill’s face was taut with tension. “No talking, shitheads. Keep walking,” Duke shouted down to them.

  “Go see Debbie,” Jack muttered before they parted. Bill nodded and moved away. Jack moved to the bottom of the escalator and looked up the steeply angled treads to the large man waiting at the top. He bit down on his jaw and took a deep breath. He knew that in a one on one he could kill Duke, but it would never get to that stage.

  Heavy with dread, he moved one foot ahead of the other and slowly climbed the metal staircase. Duke loomed over Jack like a huge goateed Buddha. When he reached the top, the two men stood and eyeballed each other for a moment.

  “Got to be honest,” said Duke, looking at Jack from his boots to the top of his head, his arms folded across his chest, “I didn’t think you’d come.”

  “Yeah? Me neither,” Jack said as he breathed out.

  Chapter 35

  “So, you gonna keep your word then?” Jack asked. He kept the palms of his hands facing Duke, showing him he was unarmed. Duke really was a big man. His belly stretched his skin tight, and his thickly muscled chest and arms bulged like bags of walnuts. He stood around s
ix foot five, and he loomed in front of Jack, his big arms folded across his thick chest, with the biggest shit-eating grin Jack had ever seen.

  His expression never changed as he spoke. “Maybe I will, maybe I won’t. Open the case,” he commanded, flicking his head back and to the right to indicate where it was.

  Jack’s eyes strayed over Duke’s shoulder, to the recessed door he could now see in the tiled wall. It remained closed. If they went to where the case was located, twenty yards behind and to the right of Duke and his gang, they might lose the advantage of surprise.

  “Let my sister go first.” Jack looked back at Duke, his expression set.

  Duke’s smile disappeared, and lines appeared on his forehead. “She’ll go over the fucking balcony if you don’t do as Duke says,” Duke said, taking a step forward. Jack tensed as Duke stopped and extended his arm and his finger as he spoke. “I make the rules.” He jabbed his finger, scowling ferociously at Jack. “You follow them.”

  Jack glared back at him, crooking his neck slightly as he felt his hackles rising. As Duke was almost eye to eye with him, he daren’t risk looking past him at the doorway. He didn’t want to raise the alarm. So he stood, unmoving, and clenched his jaw.

  “Fuck you, fatty,” Jack said, taking an educated gamble.

  For a second, he thought Duke was going to attack him. His face darkened further, then changed to surprise, and finally he laughed.

  “Ha, I like you, little man. But not enough to let you go free, I don’t think.” Duke looked at the men holding Millie. He nodded once and jerked his head. They half dragged half walked her over to the head of the escalator. “She can go. You stay,” Duke said. As Duke watched his men untying Millie, Jack risked a look at the door again. It remained closed. He wondered, irritated, if Bill was having a fucking tea break. Duke’s remaining people downstairs were subdued, some dead and many of them would be wounded. But they would still need to leave ten or so of their own to guard them until they made good their escape. Jack could feel tension seeping into his body, from the ground up. And now, as if that weren’t bad enough, Duke moved to let Millie pass, and now he had completely blocked Jack’s view of the door.

  Millie moved past him, and as she drew level Jack winked and gave her a small smile. She tried to reciprocate, but her mouth was cut and bruised, and the effort produced a bright ruby of fresh blood. He reached out as she passed and briefly gripped her left elbow. Then Jack turned back to face Duke. His anger renewed, he suppressed the urge to kill the fat fuck right now. But he knew that would be the end of his, if not everybody else’s, life. No, he would have to wait. After around a minute, Smithy’s voice came from the bottom of the escalator.

  “She’s here, Jack, she’s with me.”

  “Okay, thanks Smith,” Jack called, turning his head only a little to shout, his eyes never leaving Duke’s.

  “Now, open the case,” Duke said. His voice sounded like an avalanche, rumbling and deep.

  “Sure thing, bring it here.” Jack’s tone was light, but inside he was beginning to fret. He had no idea how to open the case, and, even if he did, it contained seeds and some random equipment that would help them get in touch with the Moon base, not drugs. Duke raised a hand and clicked his fingers. Two of his cronies came shuffling forward with the case. Jack frowned, Where was Bill?

  “Just pop it now,” Duke growled. “We don’t want any surprises when you open it do we?”

  Jack could feel a rash of sweat on his hairline. It crept like a dozen insects, every millimetre tickling his forehead. He desperately wanted to wipe it away with a sleeve, but knew it could be his death warrant. His mind flicked like a rolodex through the many options open to him, something that would delay the moment. But nothing useful came to him. The case was placed at his feet. He looked up at Duke.

  “Why wouldn’t you join us?” Jack asked.

  Duke chuckled. “Why would I?” he said, incredulous.

  Jack folded his arms. “We could win,” Jack said. “We could push them back. Things could change.” It sounded lame even to his own ears.

  “Then what?” Duke asked. “What happens then? We elect a new government, then they can tell us what to do? No thanks, I like things the way they are. Sure, I’d like some more food, some more entertainment. But what can you do? No, I’ll take the devil I know thanks.”

  “But what about the ‘Landers? Surely you can’t be happy being under their yoke? Surely you must feel the urge to overthrow?” Jack asked, actually feeling the argument now.

  Duke’s eyes flickered just for a moment. “I don’t care about them. We stay down here mostly, they can’t harm me.”

  Something about the way he said this made Jack wonder. “But that doesn’t mean that they’ll never get you, does it?” Jack said. “It doesn’t mean you’re free of them.”

  “And you think your plan means we’ll all be free? We can get rid of them forever, is that what you think?” Duke grinned, his eyes glittering. “You’re even dumber than I thought if that’s what you think.” He unfolded arms and began to use them to emphasize his words. “They’re not just here for shits and giggles, they’re here for the long haul, boy. We can’t overpower them, they won’t just cease and desist. They’re here for it all, us, water, the whole fucking planet. And you know what? Duke likes his world now. What Duke says goes. People live and die by Duke’s word. Duke’s word is law.” Duke’s face as he finished was alive with power and malice.

  The man was mad. No wonder these people followed him, he would kill them if they –didn’t. Jack was aware that time was running out. “Okay, okay.” Jack held up both palms, trying to defuse the situation. “Have it your way. We’ll just go on our way. You do what you think is right. I guess these are your people and it’s your decision.” Jack chanced his hand.

  Duke frowned. “Leave? Oh no, it’s too late for that. You came into Duke’s territory. You killed Duke’s people. You don’t just get to walk out of here, you little fuck.” Duke took another step closer, but not enough to give Jack his opportunity. “Duke’s gonna squash you and your little friends.” His finger extended again, prodding at Jack as he spoke. “And before he does, you’re going to open that fucking case.” Duke bellowed like a lung shot buffalo.

  Jack reached out, his arm moving in a blur, grabbed Duke’s outstretched finger, and snapped it back on itself. The sounding of breaking bone cut across the shocked silence.

  “Jesus, Duke loves the sound of his own voice,” Jack muttered, his face creased with annoyance. His head jutted forward on his neck as he looked hard at Duke. Duke was looking at his finger, holding his wrist with his uninjured hand. His breathing was quick, shallow, as the pain soaked in. Saliva hung from his lips, and his face grew red with the pain. His lieutenants suddenly snapped out of their torpor. Two of them came forward and raised their weapons, fingers itching to pull.

  “No!” Duke shouted. “I want that fucking case opened. Then you can do what you like to him.” Duke’s expression was torn between the agony of his broken finger, and his hatred of Jack. Duke bared his teeth as he said, “But I’ll have fun with you first, boy, before you beg me to kill you.”

  “Whatever, shithead,” said Jack. “Do your worst. We’ll see what happens.”

  “Okay scumbags,” came a voice – Bill. “Put your weapons down. Slowly.”

  The cold muzzle of a gun is a marvellous leveller. Duke moved to turn his head, but Bill pressed his muzzle eve harder. “Uh-uh, Duke. Eyes front and keep calm. This won’t take long.” Bill continued with his instructions. “On your knees, people, you know the drill.” Reluctantly, they did as they were told, all except Duke. Each of Bill’s guys moved round their charges and secured their hands and feet with cable ties.

  “Down, Duke, I’ve asked you nicely,” Bill said, but Duke was busy eyeballing Jack. The two men stared at each other, until Jack acted again. His right leg shot out and round as he spun on his standing leg. His shin made contact with the side of Duke’s right knee join
t, and everyone heard the joint break. Either one or both of the cruciate ligament joints had given way. Duke fell to the ground, clutching at his knee with both hands, the new pain momentarily silencing that of his damaged finger.

  “Do what you’re told quicker next time, fat boy,” Jack said, as he moved forward and leaned over Duke. “You fat fucking piece of shit,” Jack muttered, his face a rictus of disgust.

  Bill threw the cable ties on the floor in front of Jack, so that he could apply them. “Figured you’d want the pleasure,” he said, smiling. “Now, let’s get the fuck out of here.”

  They moved to the head of the escalator, Jack grabbing the aluminium case as they went.

  “You should kill Duke now,” Duke shouted as they left. “He’ll hunt you down and kill everybody you know.”

  Jack turned, pulling a pistol out of Bill’s holster, but Bill grabbed his arm and turned him.

  “No, Jack, we don’t do this,” Bill said, as he stared into Jack’s eyes. The two stood for a few seconds, Jack wrestling with his conscience, Bill being that conscience. Finally, Jack relaxed, and Bill took the gun. Jack hefted the case in his hands, and they turned and walked down the steel teeth of the escalator.

  Duke’s laughter accompanied them. “Major mistake, boy,” Duke’s voice rang in the tall space. “I’ll find you! I’ll fucking find you!”

  Twenty minutes later, the group, eighteen of them now after losing Nick, was making solid progress through the tube tunnels. Familiar tube stop names came and went, as the lights on the ground lit their way.

  “You should have let me kill him,” Jack said as he walked alongside Bill. “He will follow us.”

  Bill ignored him and asked his own question. “How’s your sister?”

  Jack’s expression softened. “She’s okay. Smithy’s being very attentive. They didn’t… nothing too bad happened to her. They knocked her about a bit, but she’s tough you know.” Jack paused. “You should have let me kill him,” Jack continued as they walked quickly along the train tracks. “You should have let me blow his brains out.”