We Float Upon a Painted Sea (38 page)

“Andrew, it is you. I am so sorry.” At that point seven Elfs arrived with their weapons pointed at McIntyre and then Itaridlë, Lúthien, Erurainon and Inwë joined them from behind. Itaridlë ordered the other Elfs to lower their weapons.

Andrew was nursing his head and unstable on his feet, but McIntyre put his arm around his shoulder to steady him. He said,

“Are you alright man?” Andrew sounded groggy. He replied,

“Why did you hit me with a rock you big ape?”

“Come on, it was more of a pebble than a rock.”

“Where I come from we tend to shake hands rather than throw things at each other.” McIntyre laughed and then said,

“How did you escape?”

“I didn’t intend on escaping but then this lot arrived. They also captured some Marines, tied them up and marched them up here. They assured me they would come to no harm. I think we’re in a whole lot of trouble. I felt safer in the hands of the Navy.”

“That’s not the Royal Navy, Andrew. I’m not sure who they answer to. They look and act more like a private army to me.”

The Elfs had gathered around the graphics display tablet and were in deep discussion. Andrew tried to listen in to the conversation, but the hushed tones disintegrated into inaudible mutterings. He did detect a debate over whether they could trust Professor Burke’s informant. McIntyre told him that according to the Professor’s last communication, his contact would be on a military vessel called the HMS Cumberland, which had been dispatched to the Outer Hebrides. Finally, they decided that McIntyre would leave the cleit and take the captured marines to Loch a Ghlinne and wait.

Andrew felt uneasy at McIntyre’s departure and wondered why he wasn’t asked to accompany him. McIntyre told him that if he was captured with escorting military prisoners, he might be tried for treason, so staying with the Elfs was a better idea. When he returned they would find Bull and get off the island. Andrew watched the line of marines, followed by McIntyre until he disappeared over the escarpment. Itaridlë left the cleit. She turned to the others and informed them that there was no alternative other than someone boarding the military vessel and passing the microchip to the Professor’s contact. “Taking a boat out to the ship is not an option, so it would need a strong swimmer,” claimed Itaridlë. To her surprise, Andrew stepped forward. “Are you sure you are up to this?” she said with a hand on Andrew’s shoulder.

“I was in the Territorials,” stated Andrew.

“You said before, but you also said you were an accountant at heart.”

“Accountants don’t have hearts,” he replied. Itaridlë smiled. Inwë turned to Andrew and said,

“Itaridlë is right, they’ll be keeping a lookout for a boat. They won’t expect someone to swim out to the ship, so there’s a good chance of success. When you arrive at the ship, stick this magnetic laser marker to the hull, so we know you got there safely.” Andrew took the device and nodded. Itaridlë said,

“It’s nearly night fall, it’s the best time to sneak onboard the ship and get yourself arrested. Ask to see the Commander of Operations and tell them you have information regarding Professor Burke. If the Professor’s mole is onboard the ship, he will make contact. Give him the microchip.” The Elfs looked to each other trying to find some encouraging words.

“Yeah, it’s possible. There’s every chance,” replied Lúthien. The other Elfs stared at their feet. Inwë, staring at his tablet stated,

“There’s something not right here. The last email is a week old. A lot could have happened in that time. What if the Professor’s contact isn’t even on the ship? According to these files, the control site was an oil rig and not a ship. The shot was delayed so who is to say the control site hasn’t moved somewhere else. We could be sending this man to his death for no reason…” Lúthien interrupted,

“The correspondence clearly states that the Professor’s contact would be on a Navy vessel and that ship out there in the bay is most definitely a stealth corvette, a tactical communications vessel with satellite synchronization capabilities.” Inwë moaned,

“I’ve already told you, this system doesn’t link to satellite communications. The satellites are only for surveillance so that ship isn’t necessarily the command and control centre jus because it has satellite interface capabilities.” Lúthien growled,

“We can’t take the chance. We have to go on the information we have. Someone has to board that ship. We’re wasting time and we don’t have much time left. As soon as the satellites come back online they will launch an assault on this island, the corvette will take off and the wave will finish everything else off, so if you’re quite finished Inwë? Andrew, you better get into the dry suit.” Inwë stared at the ground and his face flushed with frustration. Itaridlë placed the microchip inside a tooth cap and then asked Andrew to open his mouth. She inserted the cap over one of his molars. She looked into his eyes, searching for hesitancy and said,

“McIntyre must have really bashed your head with that rock. Are you sure about this? You don’t have to go through with it. You don’t have to prove anything. Do you have a family waiting for you back home? There’s still time to reconsider? I will tell them you suffered from sudden, unprovoked attacks of bravado.” Andrew was struggling with the dry suit. Itaridlë helped him and Andrew said,

“My mind is already made up. I think for the first time, I’m beginning to see things clearly now, and this is something I need to do. I need to contribute, but thank you for your concern.” They waited for darkness. The sun seemed to glow for an age behind the white clouds, spreading across the horizon and then it was time for Andrew to take his leave. He made his way along a path and down to a rocky outcrop at the edge of the bay. Andrew waited, gazing at the lights on the ship until darkness was complete. He dropped into the sea and began to swim. Through infrared binoculars Inwë watched his progress as he swam through the water. Then Andrew drifted out of sight. Inwë’s heart began to race when he saw a military gunboat come into view.

At first, Andrew had powered his way through the cold sea, then half way to the ship his arms and legs began to tire. He was unusually breathless and he wondered if the fatigue was a result of all the punishment his body had taken recently. As the darkness settled around him he became swallowed up by a feeling of loneliness. He began to doubt his own courage, but when he passed the damaged Mother Earth and the destroyed Green Movement speedboat, he was given a fresh impetus. He was drawing closer and he could even make out the name of the ship, The HMS Cumberland. He made his way round to the stern of the ship, keeping an eye out for marines, and then, from behind, he heard the sound of a jet propulsion engine coming closer. Andrew’s body went rigid with terror. The first bullet whizzed over his head. It was a sound he had become familiar with since an early age, hunting deer and grouse on his grandfather’s estate. He arched his body to dive under the surface of the sea for cover.

Andrew plunged his body deeper into the darkness, his arms pulling himself under and his legs kicking back with all the force he could muster but the dry suit hampered his descent. The second bullet found its target. Hot metal burst through his ribcage, penetrated his lung and exited the other side. Andrew’s body went into a violent shock. He waited for a blinding pain to follow but nothing. Still holding his breath, he tried to dive deeper but another bullet hit him in the back and Andrew was paralysed. Numbness engulfed him but he could detect the sensation of cold sea water flooding his survival suit. His body turned and rose upwards and through his flickering eyes, he could detect the spot lights of the gunboat darting around on the surface of the ocean.

Curiously, no panic beset his mind and the last few seconds of consciousness were spent in a feeling of serenity the like he had never experienced before. He thought of his children and Ashley and in his minds eye, he could see himself pushing the children on the garden swing and her broad smile when he failed to notice the swing return and hit him on the head. That day the sun had been shining, it had been warm and for a change it hadn’t been raining. Andrew saw a powerful light shine from above and his weightless body rose towards it. He closed his eyes and his mind went blank.

On the island, the Elfs gathered at the edge of the cleit to watch one of the Prophylaxis Trident spy satellites catch the reflection of the sun on the illuminated side of the Earth. It appeared like a distant star in the night time sky. Inwë came rushing towards them.

“Anything from Andrew?” said Itaridlë.

“Nothing. He hasn’t attached the magnetic laser marker to the ship’s hull. A gunboat was heading directly for him. Worse still, the satellites are coming back online, any time now. There was activity in the bay. They are preparing to attack,” replied Inwë catching his breath. Lúthien grabbed Itaridlë by the arm and said,

“We can’t wait any longer. We’re exposed and escape will be impossible. We need to make a move back to the boats on the north side of the island while we can. We have done all we can here.”

Itaridlë flashing with a curious sentiment. She beckoned all the Elfs to their feet. She said,

“The game’s up and we don’t have much time. We need to get off this island and get Professor Burke’s story exposed to the world or they will cover all this up. This is now our sole objective.” Inwë spat on the ground and looking up from the notepad, he shook his head mournfully,

“The satellites are back online. We’re too late. They’re going to find us and kill us.”

Itaridlë commanded the Elfs to put on their night vision goggles and take a path that led to Loch Ghlinne where McIntyre would be waiting with one of their boats. She and Lúthien would create a diversion so they could make their escape. Inwë and Erurainon led the remaining Elfs from the cleit and into the darkness. From above, they became aware of a pulsating humming noise. A sensation of rising pressure was detected in their chests and the movement of air around them became noticeable. When they looked up they were blinded by lights beaming down from the undercarriage of a drone hovering over their heads. They ran for the path and then found cover behind the rock outcrop and waited to open fire.

They could see the silhouette of marines dropping from the drone and heading towards them. The marines stopped and doubled back when they heard the sound of gunfire coming from the direction of the cleit. Inwë motioned to the Elfs to be still and they crouched close to the ground waiting for four attack drones to fly over. They scrambled around in the dark, trying to find the path for a few minutes, but at long last they reached the other side of the island where they stopped to catch their breath. The bay was silent and in the moonlight they could see McIntyre sitting on a log sharing a rolled cigarette with a captured marine. They panted heavily and drunk water from their bottles as they approached the jetty.

“You alright? What’s happening, I could hear gunfire in the distance. Where are the others?” exclaimed McIntyre. Inwë exchanged glances with McIntyre and still panting said,

“The satellites came back online. Then the Marines attacked. There was fighting. I don’t know what happened. We need to escape before the wave arrives.” Inwë gestured towards the captured marines, “what about this bunch? What do we do with them?”

“We kill them of course,” replied McIntyre, picking up a rifle. Inwë’s face turned ashen white and then McIntyre smiled and added,

“I’m only joking. We let them go. They were told a number of their comrades were killed by the ELF. I’ve put them straight and told them that no one died. It was all lies.” McIntyre returned their weapons which he had decommissioned and the marines were set free. McIntyre suggested that they reached high ground and then he watched as they melted away into the darkness. He asked about Bull and Inwë told him the last time he was spotted, he was walking towards the Radar Station and hopefully out of harms way of the impending wave. McIntyre was eventually persuaded to leave Bull behind and board the Elf boat. Finally, they sped off into the open sea and to the mainland.

                        …………………………………………….

Bull stopped. He gazed up towards the grass covered hill towards the summit of Conachair. The island glowed red in the sunset. He said,

“I can’t believe the military tried to trash this place. It’s beautiful here isn’t it?” Wasn’t it a UNESCO World Heritage Site?”

“It was and then the fracking industry and the military fucked it up and it lost its status, but it’s still beautiful.”

“From the sea these islands put the shits up you, but when you are on the land, the tranquillity is overpowering.” Saffron retraced several steps and stood in front of him.

“You haven’t lost your ability to wax lyrical have you? You’re the John Cooper Clarke of St Kilda.”

“He was from Salford, like me.”

“Yes, I know. That’s why I said it.” Bull took a deep breath.

“This beauty is worth protecting. I’m just sorry that it has taken so long to open my eyes. Away from this wilderness you become consumed with all life’s arcane problems and our hearts have detached from what really matters. There comes a time when we have to make a stand for something which is worth saving. We can’t allow everything we hold dear to be destroyed by mankind’s insatiable greed.” Bull congratulated himself for remembering an interview on the Discovery channel with a Cree tribal leader from Alberta whose community had been devastated by the shale oil industry. Saffron looked into Bull’s eyes and said,