Lily reached for a switch and turned it on.
“What does that do?” asked Matt.
“Interferes with their thermal imaging gear,” she said. “It’s an IR diffuser, dissipates infra-red radiation. Smear some of this on your face and hands and put the suit on.”
He caught the plastic tube and watched the others squeeze out the paste and liberally apply it to their skin.
“Anti-thermal cream,” she said.
“Does it work?”
“It helps. Stop asking questions and put it on.”
They sank to the floor and huddled around the laptops Toby had rescued from the table, eyes focussed on the images being relayed by the night vision cameras. Innumerable bodies stole silently through the wood and halted at the tree line.
“It hasn’t taken them long,” said Will.
“They knew it wasn’t Kimber,” said Matt. “They played us until they could get their people into position.”
“For a private set up they move very quickly, too quickly for my liking,” said Will. “If I didn’t know any better I would have thought they were military units.”
“Why have they stopped?”
“They recognise a potential kill zone when they see one. Give them a few minutes and they’ll make adjustments. One thing is for certain, we’re not getting down that way.”
“Well, well,” said Johnno. “Baresi’s come out to play.”
“Baresi?” asked Matt.
“There, just to the left.”
Matt squinted, as if it would somehow improve his vision.
“Could be anybody,” he said.
“That’s Connie alright. I’d know that body anywhere.”
“What’s the exit strategy?” said Will, to kill the humour.
“We lay down a volley and give them something to think about then you’ll leave in pairs, at two minute intervals. Lily and Will go first then Toby and Johnno. The route is steep and littered with boulders, providing plenty of cover, but no rock climbing. The run to the rocky outcrop, around fifty metres or so, is the only open space to negotiate and where they could get a clear shot. Once you’ve made it safely there I should be able to keep them busy long enough to give you a start. Make your way to the summit. Rosa’s prepared everything for the next stage of the escape.”
It wasn’t hard to spot the flurry of mixed glances.
“You’re expecting us to run off and leave you behind?” said Will.
“You only run off and leave someone if they don’t know you’re going.”
“Or if you don’t tell them you’re staying.”
“Well, now I’ve told you,” he said after a pause.
An uncomfortable hush followed and he could feel their eyes staring pointedly in his direction.
“What about the alternatives?”
“There aren’t any.”
“You don’t know until we discuss them?” said Johnno.
“I don’t see there’s anything to talk about.”
“Then we’ll stay and discuss it.”
“No. This part of the job isn’t in the job description you signed up for.”
“Change the description,” said Johnno.
“I’ve already had this argument with Rosa. Someone is going to have to provide cover during the escape ...”
“We can cover each other.”
“And I’m the one least likely to survive the rapid climb because of my physical condition.”
“We can compensate.”
“The climb will be hard enough without being constantly fired upon.”
“Matt …”
“Like I said, I’ve already had this conversation with Rosa. She lost the argument as will you. Someone has to hold them back and let the others get clear. I’m the prime candidate. Remember your training. In this situation the weakest stays behind and that’s me. So let’s not waste any more energy on disagreement and get to the job at hand.”
“It’s certain death,” said Will. “And what am I supposed to tell Gratia? That I left you behind?”
He looked at the innumerable shapes emerging from the wood copse on the screen and realised the debate had to end.
“We’re out of time,” he said. “They’re making their move. If you don’t go now you’ll never get out.”
Despite the highly charged atmosphere there was no anger from the others, only apparent disappointment.
“Take charge of the download,” said Matt to a reluctant Will. “You know what to do.”
His friend nodded and started to slip into one of the skin tight synthetic stealth suits Lily had procured. A moment later Toby and Johnno copied. Lily didn’t move.
“When we hit the rocky outcrop we’ll lay down covering fire, give you a chance to get clear.”
“No. You keep going. Once they overrun the lodge there’ll be nothing to stop them, and there’s too much at stake to let them catch up on you.”
“But …”
“No, Lily. That’s an order.”
Her eyes blinked with disobedient intent prompting him to offer an instant rebuke.
“You will not endanger the others. Is that clear?”
She blinked again, mentally preparing for the forthcoming argument.
“It’s clear,” said Will. “Get ready, Lily.”
Resignation appeared in her eyes and she looked briefly away before returning a steady, impassive gaze.
“Put your suit on,” she said. “No point in making it any easier for them.”
A half smile was the best he could muster. The feel of the odd material intrigued him.
“Is this Kevlar?”
“Similar.”
“It’s bullet proof then?”
“Resistant to a point,” she said. “There’s a difference.”
Using his feet as levers he prised off the unlaced boots in turn, conscious she was still looking at him.
“Why didn’t you kill me when you had the chance, back in Berchtesgaden?”
“I don’t kill for the sake of it.”
“Not even after I shot the woman who had helped you? It would have pissed me off.”
“No.”
“You killed the rest of the team.”
“They didn’t give me time to think about it.”
“So you did think about it?”
“I needed a hostage and you were the only one left alive. I wouldn’t read any more into it than that.”
He said it as matter-of-factly as he could but could tell she remained unconvinced.
“Liar,” she said. “I remember how you looked at me after you’d ripped the hood from my head; the internal rage, the thirst for revenge. You wanted to kill but something got into your mind and made you stop. What was it, why did you change your mind?”
He ignored the question and continued to dress into the suit she’d given him.
“You need to get ready.”
Her constant stare told him she wasn’t going to let it rest easily and annoyed him.
“Was it her, the woman Rosa brought with her to the house in Portugal to meet you? Gratia isn’t it?”
“Much as I’d like to have a conversation with you about the true meaning of life this isn’t really the best time or place to indulge ourselves.”
Her gaze refused to leave his face, and he felt increasingly uncomfortable under this constant stare.
“She loves you.”
“You reckon?”
“I’ve seen that look on a woman’s face before. I know what it means.”
“Appearances can be deceptive. She only came to give me the CCTV footage of the ferry terminal. No more, no less. End of story.”
“I know what I saw, what she was thinking.”
“You can read minds can you?”
“It’s probably escaped your attention but I happen to be a woman too.”
Matt intended to return her constant gaze with one of angry impatience but the cold edge had disappeared from her eyes and temporarily disarmed him. The
preconceived notion that these people were nothing more than emotionless automatons had been eroded during the relatively short time he had spent with them, and he began to wonder if it were he who was the true automaton, the one who had stopped feeling.
“You men are an odd breed, blind to the really important things in life,” she said.
“Lily, if you don’t put that suit on right now, I swear I will put a bullet between your eyes. Now stop dragging this out and get into your gear.”
Lily grabbed her suit and stood up.
“What the hell are you doing?” he yelled.
Splinters of wood showered past his line of sight where the bullet pierced the wooden wall. Then came the scream of pain and Lily collapsed to the floor clutching her right leg.
“Lily!” shouted Will.
They hurried to the stricken frame, blood haemorrhaging from a gaping wound just above the knee. Johnno was first to react, tearing away the damaged cloth so he could examine the extent of the injury. Lily’s face contorted in violent agony as she gasped desperately for air.
“Fuck it hurts,” she yelled.
They pressed her to the ground to suppress her flaying convulsions, stilling her body long enough for Will to jam the needle into her body. The morphine kicked in and Lily began to settle. Will removed the belt from his trousers and wrapped it around her upper thigh, tightening its hold to stem the blood flow. Matt heard the sound of a ripping packet and powder was poured over the scarred tissue, the ‘magic dust’ as it was affectionately known, designed to react to damaged skin in the same way a red hot poker would. Her injured flesh sizzled as the wound cauterised, causing Lily to reach out for Matt’s hand and grip it with frightening force. Moments later and the worst of the pain had passed though she refused to release her grip on his hand. He leant over and brushed the hair from her forehead, wiped the perspiration from her brow. She tried to smile through the pain as he freed his hand.
“Give me a minute,” he said.
Matt shuffled away to the rear of the room, motioning Will to follow.
“Artery,” said Will. “Lily’s not going anywhere.”
“It would have been better if they’d killed her outright.”
“They want her immobile not dead. You can’t interrogate a corpse.”
Matt’s eyes widened with alarm.
“She’s wounded for Christ’s sake!”
“You can be sure this isn’t an honourable war. Not where big bucks are involved.”
Matt winced at the thought.
“It’s okay. Lily knows the ground rules. They won’t get anything from her. She’ll see to that.”
The final bullet he realised. Rosa had told him. You keep the last one for yourself.
“Why the hell did she stand up?” he cursed.
“You don’t know? I thought Tillman’s log would have said all you needed to know about Lily. She’s the best guard dog a person could have. Once you’ve won her loyalty she puts it all on the line for you, everything.”
“Nobody willingly sacrifices their own life,” he said.
“You were going to?”
“That’s different.”
“I don’t know what it is but there’s something about you Matt. You have this uncanny knack of inspiring loyalty in people, making them want to help you despite the odds. It’s a gift and you’ve got it. Why else would we have tagged along? I figured you’d worked that out for yourself.”
He hadn’t. He hadn’t worked it out at all. The thought had never crossed his mind.
“You’re confusing me with someone else. Don’t make me out to be something I’m not.”
“Don’t say it to me,” said Will, motioning with his head towards the three faces waiting for his instruction.
“Crap,” he whispered.
Anxiety tightened its vicelike grip on the muscles in the pit of his stomach, threatening to force Matt to his knees. Will understood and placed a supportive hand on Matt’s shoulder.
“What’s first,” asked Will.
Matt crawled to the pale face of his wounded comrade and gently grasped her hand.
“Looks like you need a change of plan,” she said, wincing at a sudden shot of pain.
Matt turned to the others.
“Give our unwelcome guests an idea of what to expect if they get any closer.”
The instruction obeyed he twisted back round.
“Tillman said you could be awkward.”
“He wasn’t wrong.”
Matt glanced into her eyes before checking the wound. The magic dust hadn’t worked as they’d hoped, blood continuing to seep through the rapidly applied bandage. He winced at the sight.
“It’s an artery,” she said. “I know that much.”
He busied with checking the weapons at her side, first the rifle then the handgun. Both were loaded and he positioned fresh ammunition clips close at hand.
“Toby, you and Johnno get ready to go. After two minutes Will can join you.”
“You’re not staying. I don’t want you here,” she said.
“No, I’m not staying. But I’ll be the last one to leave.”
“Good.”
He checked the wound once more.
“Don’t leave it too late. Too much blood loss and you can fall unconscious.”
“I won’t.”
The deep sigh he’d been holding back escaped.
“Why Lily?” he asked. “Of all the names on the planet you could have picked, why Lily?”
“The morning I woke up, after running away. I opened my eyes on the park bench and it was the first thing I saw, a lily on the pond.”
“As simple as that?” he asked.
“As simple as that,” she said.
“I expected a more imaginative response.”
“No you didn’t. I’ve watched you long enough to know when you’re lying,” she said.
He averted his gaze and gave the order to leave, feeling her eyes fixed attentively on his face. The edges of her lips broke into a smile.
“Lily,” called a voice from the other end of the room.
She spotted Toby and Johnno, fists clenched, followed by a single nod of acknowledgement. She struggled to raise her hand from the floor and it saddened them. One more nod, and they were gone.
“I got some things wrong about you,” he said.
“Ditto,” she replied.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Get even instead.”
He nodded in silent agreement. Her eyes shut for a fleeting second. On reopening she saw Will had joined them.
“Look after him,” she whispered.
Gently, between them, they eased her stiffening body onto its side, into as comfortable a position as possible.
“That’s as good as it will get,” she said. “One more volley and you can both go.”
Targets acquired they fired into the woods below, followed by a second round.
“Your turn, Will,” said Matt, and his friend retired.
“Now you,” said Lily.
“There’s time yet.”
“No there isn’t,” she said. “Get moving.”
Matt paused, reluctant to move.
“Get out,” she repeated. “I’m done being pleasant.”
He touched her shoulder and moved away, about to exit when he heard her voice again.
“Hey, Durham,” she called out. “You’re not the bastard I first thought you were.”
He did his best to smile. When it came it was weak, tainted with sadness and lacking conviction. She noted his distress and smiled back before silently nodding to indicate it was time for him to leave.
“Give them hell. Lily.”
“Goes without saying,” she said, easing her head round to take careful aim at a target.
Will had remained outside the door.
“Are you okay, Matt?”
“I’m fine,” he lied, the words getting caught in his throat leaving him feeling choked of air.
“It’s the right call,” said his friend.
“It doesn’t feel right.”
They sprang up and ran to the rocky outcrop where Toby and Johnno waited, rifle butts pressed against shoulders, eyes searching the telescopic lens for any signs of movement. Matt took a final look back at the lodge.
“Let’s go,” he said.
In single file they sped up the incline; hearts pounding, muscles pumping, desperately sucking in mouthfuls of thin air to the accompanying sound of gunfire from below. With each crackle of weaponry Matt pictured the scene of Lily’s unequal struggle. They used the increasingly frequent sounds of battle to spur them forward, galvanising their limbs into conquering the harsh terrain. Then the noises stopped and they stopped too, breathless and in fearful anticipation over what they knew was about to happen. Then; a single gunshot.
“They can’t interrogate her now,” said Will.
Each of them fell silent, locked in their individual thoughts until Johnno broke the sombre mood.
“Bye, Lily,” he said.
Eyes strained to peer down the mountainside. Even with the night vision glasses it was hard to see anything other than the pitch black of night. Nothing appeared to be moving. Only the silence could be heard. Lily had gone and he felt the loss. Each of them did. They also knew the chase had begun.
He turned to lead them on, only to tumble to the ground as his legs buckled underneath. Hitting the cold surface he rolled onto his back and stared into the night sky.
No, he thought. Not here, not now.
Control of his body slipped away, despite the protestations of his mind. Conscious speech had deserted him and his vision switched off and on, as though someone were flicking a light in front of his eyes. The sweat oozed from every pore but had nowhere to go, trapped within the confines of the suit, and he began to shiver. At least there was no uncontrollable, violent shaking. A hand lifted his head and the rim of a bottle pressed against his lips. Alcohol poured down his throat and warmed the gullet, almost choking him in the process.
“Where did you get that from?” he heard Johnno ask.
“From the lodge, just in case,” answered Will.
A second flow of cold liquid entered his mouth, the excess spilling from the sides of his mouth.
“Matt, can you hear me?” asked Will.
The ability to talk remained beyond his immediate control so he tried to answer by blinking. They didn’t notice. He made another attempt. Surely they must see what he was doing this time.
“Is that the only way to communicate?” asked Will. “Blink once for yes.”
He complied. His friend answered with a smile.
“He’s not completely dead to the world.”
“No, just a dead weight,” said Johnno.
“What do we do?” asked Toby.
Leave me, his mind yelled. Will took a moment to assess the situation and Matt hoped he would take control and make the right decision.
“What’s happening down there, Johnno?”
“Three squads of six,” was the reply. “One is moving left, one to the right and one to the centre. Judging by their speed it’s not going to take them long to get here.”
“I reckon we’re two thirds of the way there,” said Will.
“Another hour at least though,” said Toby. “And dawn will be breaking soon. Against this snowy landscape we’ll stick out like sore thumbs. It’ll be a turkey shoot.”
“Fire some rounds down the mountain, Johnno. Give them something to think about.”
The blowpipe sounds of a silencer-fitted weapon echoed down the mountain and throughout the valley below. Matt counted at least six, possibly seven rounds.
“Jesus they’re motivated,” said Johnno. “They’ve hardly broken sweat.”
“The obvious thing is to leave him,” said Will.
Matt blinked once.
“What if he recovers?” asked Toby.
“He will. It’s just a question of when. Could be minutes, could be hours.”
“How long do you think we’ve got bro?”
“Not hours.”
“We could hang around for a bit,” suggested Toby.
Matt blinked twice, then twice more.
“Just as well you don’t have any say in this,” said Will.
He blinked once.
“No you don’t,” said Toby. “Now be quiet and let us try and figure this out.”
Matt produced a series of long, hard double blinks.
“Is he still trying to order us around?” said Johnno. “The guy is persistent I’ll give him that.”
The mouth opened. Still no words would emerge.
“We’ve got three options,” said Will. “The first is do what we’re trained to do and leave the weakest behind so the rest can get clear.”
“We’re not going to do that though, are we?” said Toby.
“No.”
Matt’s eyes blinked furiously.
“For God’s sake,” said Johnno. “Cover his freaking eyes. I’m tired of listening to him spout the same old crap over and over again.”
“The next option is to make a stand. We’ve got three guns, plenty of ammo, and they are less than twenty.”
“Did I mention there’s another three squads behind the first three?” said Johnno.
“What is option three?” asked Toby.
“We take a turn in carrying him while the others provide covering fire. He might get some limited use of his body back on the way up. If not, we keep going until we reach the top. Rosa will have the next part of the escape sorted by the time we get there.”
“Sounds like a plan,” said Johnno.
“Okay, let’s move.”
Strong hands pulled at his arms and sat him up on a cold and miserably uncomfortable rock. He felt the rim of a bottle being pressed to his lips and he gulped hard to consume as much alcohol as he could.
“Leave … me,” he managed to utter.
“What’s he saying?” asked Johnno.
“Time to leave I think,” answered Toby. “Don’t worry, if they get too close we’ll soon drop you.”
The manhandling of his limp body began again in earnest. The same powerful sets of hands plucked him up from the ground and draped him over Toby’s back.
“Christ, you need to lose weight.”
Toby shuffled his body underneath to get comfortable and they roped the two together.
“Crazy … bastards,” Matt managed to say.
“He’s ungrateful, too,” Johnno quipped.
They were the last words he could remember before finally slipping into unconsciousness.
Deep in the recesses of his mind he could feel movement, rough handling and of being dropped, picked up and carried. Forward movement was unsteady and dispiritingly slow. The swift progress they’d previously enjoyed was nothing like this, their current pace resembling little more than a crawl judging by the slow motion camera whirring in his mind, his discomfort not helped by the incessant sweating compounded by the tight fitting suit. He felt sure he’d heard cries of pain along the way but the movement was continuous at least. The tingling sensation of his nerve endings beginning to recover grew stronger as he drifted in and out of consciousness. Matt heard a man’s voice speak for the first time in what seemed like an age as he slipped from a pair of shoulders and dropped to the ground.
“Where the hell is Rosa?”
The voice continued to curse, continued to ask the question as a thump announced the arrival of one of the others.
Lucidity broke through the swirling mists of confusion that had occupied his mind and he awoke amidst a barrage of deafening noise, recognising the familiar sounds of gunfire as bullets whooshed through the surrounding air. He had been placed on the snowy ground against a gentle incline though he was mercifully unable to feel the cold. On the opposite side of the hollow two figures crouched behind an imposing boulder, rising infrequently to fire into the night. He recognised them as Toby and Will, breathlessly sucking in
air as though trying to recover from overexertion.
“Delta, go,” shouted Toby.
Ear rested against the ground Matt heard the sound of rushing footsteps through the earth accompanied by bursts of gunfire above. A thump against the soil and Johnno arrived.
“How’s it looking, bro?”
“Lost the left flank,” gasped Johnno. “It’s possible they’ve met an obstacle which has held them up. The centre’s stalled as there’s only two left standing but the right will be with us soon enough.”
“What about the reserve units?” Will asked.
“Don’t know. They wouldn’t let me keep my head up for long enough to see.”
“We have to assume they’re closing,” said Will, peering up to the peak.
“What are you looking for?” asked Toby.
“Rosa. Daylight’s coming. I thought we might have had a signal from her by now. Where the hell is she?”
“That’s twice you’ve asked that,” said Toby. “And I didn’t know the answer the first time.”
“I reckon we’ve got a few more minutes before they pin us down completely,” said Johnno.
“Then it’s time the three of you got out of here,” said Matt unexpectedly.
“Hey, Durham, back in the land of the living,” said Toby.
“How are you feeling?” Will asked.
“Life’s returning,” he said.
“God, he’s started talking again,” said Johnno. “Get ready for the instructions.”
“How much longer do you need?” Will asked.
“More time than you’ve got by the sound of it. Leave a hand gun and some spare clips and make your way.”
“I told you, bloody instructions,” said Johnno.
“We’re nearly there, Matt,” said Will.
“Not near enough.”
“We can make it,” chipped in Toby.
“You’re all carrying injuries and close to exhaustion while I haven’t got the physical strength to run uphill under my own steam and they’re closing. Let’s not lose sight of the objective which is to get the download away from here. Nothing else matters. If you stay and get overrun then everything we’ve done will be for nothing and Lily’s death will have been a complete waste.”
“Matt …”
“You know I’m right.”
The three men exchanged knowing glances. Will sighed and pressed an automatic pistol into Matt’s hand and placed three spare clips to the side.
“Have you got the energy to replace cartridges?”
“I’ll find it. Now get going.”
He eyed each in turn, saving Will to last as another round of shots whisked overhead. Toby produced a memory stick and rammed it into the laptop.
“I’ll make a copy for Will to take with him,” he said.
“There’s no law saying it has to be Will who goes first,” remarked Matt as the device filled up.
“Me and bro stick together in a fight,” said Johnno. “We’ll cover Will then follow him up.”
Will nodded and accepted the object. Johnno rose and fired downhill. Toby shuffled along to his best mate and repeated the exercise. Matt touched at his friend’s arm to catch his attention.
“Good luck,” he said.
“What should I tell Gratia?” Will asked.
Matt thought for a moment and then shook his head.
“Nothing,” he said.
Will’s eyes queried the response but he didn’t reply. Matt raised the handgun and checked the magazine. Full. Soon it would be over. Will gave him a final, parting glance.
“It’s time,” said Matt.
The movement behind Will caught Matt’s eye. He counted half a dozen black-suited figures rushing towards them with weapons raised. Caught off guard the small band realised they were about to be overwhelmed.
Chapter Thirty Five
Rope