Quake (36 page)

Could he risk an ECube scan?

No. The enemy might pick up the electronic tracking pulses. And then he would be fucked.

Carter rested back on his heels, calming his thoughts, forcing images of Natasha and their unborn child from his mind. He could not afford to think of them now.

Carter waited ... a good half-hour passed and activity seemed to lessen. Five trucks roared off in support of six large LVA tankers; their lights cut through the night and their engines howled, heavy wheels whirling up the dry dust and then leaving a deathly stillness in their wake.

The patrols seemed to lessen.

Carter checked his watch.

3.20 a.m.

Time to move.

Taking a deep breath, and timing himself between Nex patrols, Carter set out from the rocks around the edge of the quarry so that he could zigzag across to the rear of the Op HQ through as many shadows and trees as possible ...

And hope that the snipers didn’t spot him.

Mongrel checked his watch.

3.17 a.m.

‘Come on, Carter, what the fuck you doing?’

Mongrel and Mila had watched the quarry for some time, noting the loading of Nex troops into trucks, the filling of LVA tankers, the continuous drone of the LVA pump. Then, when he could see no sign of Carter, he eventually decided that it was too risky to keep popping their heads over the ridge line ... it could get them shot.

So they retreated down the slope a little and listened, waiting for any sounds of infiltration or discovery - sirens, gunshots, anything.

‘You OK?’

Mila nodded. She was tired, pale, and looked very weak. She was trying hard to put on a brave face but Mongrel could sense her weariness.

‘I am fine.’

‘How old are you?’

‘Twenty.’

‘That’s young.’

She shrugged. ‘I am still full woman,’ she said, smiling.

‘You need to sleep?’

‘No!’

‘Come here, girl.’ Mila moved over to Mongrel and he took her in his arms. She rested her head against his huge chest. Her eyes closed, and Mongrel looked down at the top of her head, the fine silken web of hair. He inhaled her perfume. Lust was not far from his thoughts.

Mongrel’s eyes scanned from left to right, then he shifted a little. Mila sighed against him.

He hefted the M24 thoughtfully, wondering idly how Carter planned to get Jam out in the event that the Spiral agent was unable to move under his own steam.

Carter would think of something. He would probably secure Jam in that event and await heavy back-up ... And soon - with luck - the tanks would arrive.

Mongrel nodded to himself, his tongue chasing a crumb around the cavernous toothless interior of his mouth. Damn crumbs, he thought. Closely followed by, Fucking teeth.

Metal pressed against the back of his head.

It was quite obviously the barrel of a gun.

‘Drop the carbine, fucker.’

Mongrel froze - the hairs on the back of his neck prickled.

They emerged from the darkness, drifting like ghosts with sub-machine guns levelled at his face and the sleeping form of Mila. They were Nex. And there were twelve of them ...

Slowly, Mongrel dropped his M24 and shook Mila awake.

‘Oh!’ she said, her gaze alighting on the Nex. ‘Oh.’

‘Well done. You led them straight to us.’

‘I... I did?’

‘We’ve been watching you for weeks,’ said a Nex softly, copper eyes burning into Mila’s face. It stepped forward and smashed the butt of the gun against her head, sending her sprawling across the ground to lie still, blood flowing freely from her wound.

‘And you ...’

Mongrel launched himself at the Nex, who neatly sidestepped, its fist lashing out to slam against Mongrel’s jaw. He rolled, countered with an uppercut but the Nex lodged and rammed the sub-machine gun into Mongrel’s face.

The large Spiral operative hit the ground.

Five heavy kicks sent him spinning into unconsciousness.

They bound the two captives with wire, and dragged them down the slope towards the truck which idled, exhaust fumes spitting grey into the dark humid night.

‘Just one more.’

‘How perfect.’

The truck disappeared quietly into the night.

Carter dropped to a crouch, a low hiss escaping his lips, the Browning tight in his fist. He rolled into the shadows under a wide pine tree, felt needles prickling through his clothing and waited until the stealthy footfalls of the patrol had passed.

Releasing his breath slowly, he crawled to the edge of the wooden walls of the Op HQ and moved to the nearest window. It had been blacked out but, standing, Carter could see through a chink in the curtain.

The Op HQ was empty ...

He watched for a while, just to make sure.

Carter, hand touching the wall, slid along the side of the building and glanced up again towards the sniper towers. He could see two Nex, motionless, copper eyes scanning like those of automatons. With a swift movement Carter reached the door and slid inside, closing the heavy wooden slab behind him.

The Op HQ was a large room, perhaps twenty metres square. On one side of the chamber was living accommodation - low single beds, four sets of bunk beds, a wide, rough-hewn oak table with a scattering of chairs - and in the corner a kitchen assembly with cooker, sink, kettle and a disarray of pans and cups. To the right the whole twenty-metre wall was taken up by oak benching littered with all manner of computing equipment, scanners, a satellite-control deck, and other complicated machinery that Carter suspected had something to do with the SAM defences. Lights glittered on small grey alloy consoles - blipping orange and green, then a cascade of purple which seemed to shower across the displays. Beside the high-tech computer equipment were several large wall boards containing maps and documents, and a fixed digital map; it was towards these that Carter gravitated.

‘It’s too quiet.
‘

‘I know.’

‘It could be a trap ...
’

‘But I need to find Jam. It’s no use sitting in the woods all night.’

Carter stared up at the maps. They ranged across several continents and seemed to display LVA sites operational and potential - and several that were under investigation by the Fuel Inspectorate. Countries included Egypt, Afghanistan, China, Peru, Russia, Norway and Australia. Carter lifted his ECube and it captured the information with a digital whine.

Moving to the console, he activated it and the digital map buzzed into life. Passwords were requested and Carter rested his ECube against the computer terminal - it clicked softly, and letters and numbers flickered at incredible speed across the display as the ECube hacked the terminal and the digital map spun into focus ...

Again, LVA sites were displayed ...

And other markings scattered across the map, highlighted in a bright orange that glittered softly.

Carter’s eyes were drawn towards London as—

Glass smashed from all around the room as five windows imploded and Nex rolled to their feet with sub-machine guns levelled. Carter whirled low and the silenced Browning was spitting in his fist as he dived for the benching. Two Nex took bullets in their faces, blood spraying in bright arcs and were flipped into untidy dead heaps against the wooden floor.

Carter reached for another magazine—

As a gun barrel touched his head.

‘Getting slow,’ said the Nex, voice soft, asexual, a gentle croon. It had come in through one of the windows behind Carter as he fought.

Carter grinned. ‘Yeah, I’m too fucking old for this game.’

The other three Nex approached, forced Carter to stand, and took his Browning and M24 carbine. They bound his hands tightly behind his back with wire and one of the Nex - seemingly the leader, although they wore no insignia or marks of rank - turned and stared at the two Nex dead on the floor.

He spun back, copper eyes burning, and moved close to Carter.

‘You have been a thorn in our side for a long time.’

‘Good.’

Carter’s own Browning smashed against his head and blackness whirled in patterns against a sea of red, floating with bright brittle stars. He was dragged to his knees and blinked, working his jaw, and spat a little blood onto the boards.

‘Can we kill him?’

‘Not yet. They’re bringing the others.’

Carter cursed inwardly and, licking his lips, scanned the room. He tried to loosen his bonds and caught another blow from his own weapon that sent him crashing to the wooden boards with a heavy thump. He lay stunned for a few moments, pain pounding him. The Nex dragged him to his knees again and he started to laugh, a long low evil sound.

‘What’s so funny?’

‘The detonation.’

‘What detonation?’

‘Better get looking, little worms. Not long now before this whole fucking LVA plant blows sky-high ... after all, you dumb motherfuckers, I
am
in a Demolition Squad…’

The Nex exchanged glances, and two whirled, leaving the Op HQ at speed.

‘Down to two,’
whispered Kade.

Carter did not look, but was aware of his ECube nestling against the digital map’s terminal. He calmed his breathing, head throbbing with pain, and turned a little to reposition his body, relaxing his muscles, waiting ...

The door swung open.

First came Mongrel, badly beaten and bleeding from mouth, nose and forehead; he was bound tightly and he was - understandably - scowling fiercely. Two Nex held him. Then came Mila, also bound, staggering weakly and moaning in Slovene; again, two Nex followed and Carter cursed as they piled into the room ...

‘This should be more fun,’
said Kade.

‘What the fuck does that mean?’

‘More bodies for me to burn,’
he said darkly.

And then—

Then came Durell and another figure: a tall man, with a grey-flecked beard and neatly trimmed greying hair. He was large, a powerful man, and his gaze fixed directly on Carter as he entered the room. The pair halted, leaving the door wide and a cool breeze flowing in from the night.

Silence fell. Then—

‘Mr Carter,’ said Durell softly, throwing back his hood to reveal the monstrosity that was his face. His narrow slitted copper-eyed stare burned into Carter. ‘How nice to see you again. This is such a pleasant surprise.’

‘I thought you fucking killed him!’ murmured Mongrel.

Carter nodded. ‘I’ll make sure I shoot him in the damned face next time, mate - although since he looks so fucking hideous I think somebody already tried.’

Durell chuckled, drool pooling from his twisted jaws.

‘I commend you for your tenacity, Mr Carter. It has been a long time since we had an enemy so worthy of us.’

‘Too bad he has to die,’ said Gol, eyes still fixed on Carter.

‘So you the real Gol, or what?’ snapped Carter, turning his attention from Durell to his old friend and ally. ‘I saw you fall from a mountain, and then I gave you an HPG to eat both times I saw you fucking die. It would appear that you have a little bit of immortality flowing in your blood.’

‘The first time I did not die,’ rumbled Gol. ‘The first time I was saved ... by Durell. And the second time you met a—’ He smiled softly. ‘Shall we say a changer ... a form of Nex we worked on a long time ago.’

‘And now you show your true colours?’

‘True colours?’ Gol frowned. ‘This is no betrayal, Carter. Spiral has had its day. Spiral is weak. It has had its time and now it needs - shall we say - a little gentle persuasion to move over.’

Carter said nothing.

His gaze moved to Mongrel and the two Spiral agents exchanged a silent communication.

‘This LVA all your idea, Durell?’ growled Mongrel.

‘Who is this puppy who yaps at my feet?’ snarled Durell - and whirled, a true blur of movement, an incredible display of speed as claws emerged from the depths of his dark robes and hammered into Mongrel’s head. The big man was picked up and tossed across the Op HQ to clatter against the wall, falling heavily to the ground, blood spilling from his mouth. He groaned, looked up, then slumped back down and lay still.

‘What do you want with us?’ said Carter coldly, amazed at this show of speed from the twisted husk.

‘No,’ said Durell, slitted eyes burning with anger. ‘What is it that
you
want with
us?
Are you here to destroy me pumps? Or to look for ... enemies?’

Carter stared into Durell’s eyes, breathing deeply and calming himself. ‘We have come to find Jam. We tracked him here; this whole discovery of your LVA set-up is incidental and, to be honest, I do not give a fuck about your aspirations for world fucking domination - I just want to find Jam.’

‘Strange.’

Durell paced up and down as the cool breeze brought in night scents. He moved towards Mila and one claw cupped her chin, lifting her face so that she had to stare at his deformities. Her eyes were wide in terror, her mouth agape.