Blood Ransom

  As soon as they were gone, Rachel crawled out from under the desk and peered at the medical report on the screen again.

  ‘We should go,’ I said. ‘It’s obvious there’s no fire, everyone will be coming back in any second.’

  She nodded. ‘But we haven’t found out anything.’

  An idea struck me. I pointed to the medical report. ‘Does that say where the tests took place?’ I asked.

  ‘Just “Lab Three”, wherever that is,’ Rachel answered.

  I clicked on Jamieson’s address book. ‘Look.’ I pointed to the ‘labs’ folder in Jamieson’s contacts list. There were five – all with addresses in the Glasgow area.

  Rachel peered intently at the details for Lab Three. ‘Holloway Street,’ she said. ‘Number 55.’

  We stared at each other.

  ‘That’s where Grace is,’ Rachel said, excitedly.

  ‘It’s where she was this morning.’ I corrected her.

  ‘Then she might still be there.’ Rachel grabbed my arm. ‘Come on, we have to go now.’

  We raced out to the stairs. I pounded down them, two steps at a time, Rachel right behind me. We made it to the first-floor landing before a deep male Scottish voice echoed up towards us.

  ‘It’s too much of a coincidence,’ he said. ‘I mean, hopefully it’s just kids messing about, but if they’re still in the building . . .’

  Rachel stopped in her tracks, yanking me back by the shoulder.

  ‘That’s Jamieson,’ she hissed.

  I looked round. The door to the first-floor offices was right beside us.

  ‘In here.’ I raced through the door and along the corridor, Rachel following right behind.

  I stopped at the nearest window. It was shut, but opened easily when I pressed on the window lock.

  We scrambled outside, onto a flat roof that appeared to jut out from the side of the building. I lay prostrate on the roof, then crawled forward commando-style and peered over the edge. Below us, a narrow passageway ran along the side of the building, leading to a metal gate a few metres away. Beyond that was an empty stretch of pavement.

  I eased myself down and turned, holding out my arms to help Rachel as she jumped.

  She landed softly, stumbling against me, then looked up into my eyes.

  My breath caught in my throat. She was right there, in front of me, closer than at any moment since I’d picked her up off the beach on Calla.

  I wanted to kiss her. But I couldn’t. Not here. Not now.

  We pulled away from each other and raced over to the metal gate. I gave Rachel a leg-up and she climbed onto the gate. She straddled the top for a second then jumped down onto the pavement on the other side.

  I clambered after her, glancing anxiously over my shoulder as I reached the top of the gate.

  No one was following us.

  I jumped down and started running after Rachel, the thrill of success surging through me.

  We ran hard for a couple of minutes, heading for the place where we’d agreed to rendezvous with Lewis. As we neared the meeting point, Rachel slowed to a jog. I took her hand and she smiled up at me.

  ‘We’re going to find Grace,’ she said. ‘I can feel it. And I was thinking . . . there’s bound to be stuff in this Lab Three that will explain what Elijah’s found in my DNA . . . this special thing in my blood . . .’

  ‘Maybe it’s just some little quirk that means your clones can survive in an artificial womb?’ I said.

  Rachel shook her head. ‘There has to be more to it than that. That’s why Elijah wanted to do more tests . . . to see how he could use whatever it is. He won’t stop until he’s got all the answers, I’m sure of it.’

  We reached the junction where Lewis had told us to meet him – a crossroads beside a patch of wasteland, complete with scrubby bushes and a broken-roofed bus shelter.

  Lewis wasn’t there.

  Rachel looked frantically up and down the roads that led to the junction. I peered across the patch of wasteland. A jacket lay crumpled on the grass, just visible past the bus shelter.

  Except it wasn’t just a jacket. It was Lewis.

  And he wasn’t moving.

  63

  Rachel

  I dropped to the ground beside Lewis, my heart in my mouth. He was totally still, his eyes shut. I held my trembling hand against his nose . . . at least he was breathing. I shook his shoulder gently.

  ‘Lewis?’ I whispered.

  No response.

  ‘What’s happened to him?’ Theo said.

  ‘I don’t know.’ I gently lifted Lewis’s jacket and then felt round the back of his head. ‘There’s no blood . . . I don’t think he’s been hit . . . at least not since last night . . .’

  We stared at each other for a moment, then Theo fished his phone out of his pocket. ‘We have to call an ambulance,’ he said.

  ‘But Elijah could be watching the hospitals . . .’

  ‘Elijah’s not after Lewis, he’s after you. And we’ll give the paramedics a false name.’ He paused. ‘Anyway, we can’t just leave him here.’ He stared at me, his gaze steady.

  ‘Okay.’

  Theo dialled 999. He was amazingly sorted on the phone, giving false names for all of us and explaining that Lewis was a guy we knew vaguely who we’d heard had been beaten up the night before. Afterwards, we went through Lewis’s pockets. We took some money and the rope from the boat. Then we hid behind the bus shelter – watching out for Jamieson – until the ambulance crew arrived.

  We got the name of the hospital Lewis was being taken to, but said we couldn’t travel with him, telling the paramedics we had to get home to our parents. They told us they didn’t know what was wrong with Lewis . . . that the doctors needed to check him over. I noticed they carefully avoided saying that he was definitely going to be all right.

  I felt like crying as they drove away. Lewis had always been there in my fight against Elijah. Without him I felt really vulnerable.

  I didn’t speak as Theo checked for directions on his phone, took my hand and led me away. We walked for five minutes, neither of us saying a word. Theo led me down a series of small roads, finally stopping on the edge of an industrial estate. The sky had clouded over and was as grey as the squat modern buildings ahead of us. In the distance lay a range of greeny-brown hills. I guess they should have looked attractive, but everything now seemed dull and depressing.

  How could we carry on without Lewis?

  ‘Lab Three is in there.’ Theo pointed into the industrial estate.

  I nodded, turning away so Theo wouldn’t see my eyes fill with tears.

  ‘Rachel?’ His voice was uncertain.

  I turned back. ‘I don’t know if I can do this.’ The words came out without me meaning them to, in a tiny whispered voice.

  I blushed, hating that I’d shown Theo how vulnerable I felt.

  ‘You’re not alone.’ He put his hands on my arms. ‘I’m here. We can do this together, yeah?’

  I looked up into his dark brown eyes. They were so beautiful – warm and strong and with a certainty . . . a self-belief . . . that hadn’t been there last year.

  I suddenly felt overwhelmed by how much I loved him. Tears welled up again – this time with relief. Sobbing, I flung myself into his arms.

  He held me for a minute while I cried, then leaned down and kissed me.

  It was a different kiss than the one on Calla – more tender and protective. As we pulled apart I knew that all the months apart hadn’t made any difference.

  Theo and I were meant to be together.

  ‘When this is over,’ I said, croakily, ‘I don’t want to go back to Roslinnon.’

  ‘I’m not going back to the States, either,’ Theo said.

  ‘They’ll have to let us live nearer each other . . . be able to see each other . . .’

  Theo smiled. ‘They won’t be able to stop us,’ he said. ‘Now, are we going to find this lab or what?’

  I smiled back. ‘Come on, then.’
br />   We edged slowly round the industrial estate, stopping at each pre-fab building to check its name.

  Jamieson Labs was clearly signed – an ultra-modern concrete construction on two floors with steps down to a basement. A man was standing outside the basement door, smoking. We hid behind a wall, then peered round it to get a better look.

  ‘That’s one of Elijah’s men . . . Paul,’ I whispered.

  ‘Looks like he’s guarding the basement door,’ Theo said.

  ‘That’s good.’

  Theo stared at me as if I were mad. ‘What’s good about it?’

  ‘Well, Paul works for Elijah. If he’s guarding the basement I bet that’s where Lab Three is.’

  ‘Let’s find out.’ Theo gritted his teeth. ‘Though it’s going to take both of us to deal with an armed guard. We’re going to need everything we’ve got.’

  I glanced at him. ‘Which is what, exactly? We don’t have any weapons.’

  ‘A good attack technique and the element of surprise.’

  I smiled, knowing that Theo was referring to the way I’d learned to fight last year. But that memory brought me back to Lewis, unconscious on his ambulance stretcher, and the smile slid from my face.

  Lewis had risked so much for me. He had to be okay. I couldn’t bear it if he wasn’t.

  But there was no time to think about that. Theo was explaining his plan for getting past Paul – it was risky, but definitely do-able. And it was our best shot for finding Grace.

  We got as close as we could to Paul without being seen, then Theo stayed hidden while I walked into plain view.

  Paul saw me straight away. He gasped, his hand reaching automatically for his gun. He pointed it at me as I walked down the short flight of concrete steps to the basement yard where he was standing.

  I clocked the sign on the door. Lab 3.

  So far, so good.

  ‘Stand still,’ Paul ordered.

  Ignoring him, I headed for the door to Lab Three, forcing Paul to turn so he was still facing me.

  ‘Stand still,’ he said again.

  This time I stopped. I’d done what I needed to do. Paul had his back to the street now. He’d never see Theo coming.

  Paul stared at me, his mouth agape. ‘Milo said you’d drowned.’

  My heart bumped against my chest. ‘I nearly did,’ I said.

  I forced myself not to look up, above Paul’s head. I mustn’t warn him that Theo was about to approach from behind.

  Paul shook his head. Still holding the gun in one hand, he reached for his radio with the other.

  This was Theo’s cue. I kept my eyes fixed on Paul’s gun hand. Behind him, I could see the faintest flicker of movement.

  And then Theo leaped, knocking Paul down. Both the gun and the radio clattered to the ground as Paul instinctively used his hands to break his fall. He landed heavily on his side, but used the momentum to roll over, trying to get up again. Theo flung himself at Paul’s chest, pinning the man’s arms to the ground.

  Paul was yelling and kicking out.

  I rushed over and kicked the gun and the radio into the far corner of the basement yard. Paul was pushing Theo back. He was broader and stronger. On his knees now. No longer yelling. All his energy concentrated on Theo. His hands round Theo’s neck.

  I stood beside him, steadied myself and took my stance. The whole weight of my body went into the roundhouse kick I aimed at Paul’s ribs.

  He flew backwards, releasing Theo, who lunged for him again.

  They were on the ground, fighting. I reached between the flailing arms and felt in Theo’s pocket for the rope we’d taken from Lewis.

  Theo forced Paul’s arms behind his back and I wound the rope round his wrists. Paul was still kicking. He yelled out – a furious roar.

  Theo immediately clamped his hand over Paul’s face. I ripped a length off the end of my shirt and we wound it tightly round his mouth. Now the cries were muffled.

  Theo sat back, panting. He had a cut on the side of his lip and a red mark on his cheek, but otherwise he looked fine. I ripped another length of my shirt off and we bound Paul’s ankles then fastened him to the stair railing with a tight knot.

  Paul was still thrashing about, but he couldn’t move far. No one passing by would see him now unless they looked right over the wall.

  Theo breathed out a relieved sigh.

  ‘D’you think those knots will hold?’ He grinned. ‘Maybe you should take off the rest of your shirt so we can make sure?’

  I blushed, looking down at my ripped shirt. At least I had a little vest top on underneath. ‘Very funny.’ I shot him a quick smile. ‘But if we need any more substitute rope I think we’ll be using your shirt. Come on, let’s get going.’

  I tiptoed up the stairs and glanced around the industrial estate. A small group of people were leaving another building, a hundred metres or so away. They stood in the road, chatting. They clearly hadn’t heard us. The rest of the estate was empty.

  Paul was still issuing muffled roars as I went back down the stairs.

  I turned to the door of Lab Three. ‘Ready?’

  Theo nodded and I pushed the door open.

  We were in a dark corridor. Halfway down, two doors led off on either side. We crept closer to them, my heart pounding. The building looked and sounded deserted, but it couldn’t be, not if Paul was guarding the outside. We reached the left-hand door and I pushed it open slowly. Inside was a research room, full of scientific equipment. I glanced round at the shelves, which were covered in bottles and tubes and boxes.

  Several microscopes were ranged across the countertop beneath them. There was no sign of any people.

  I pointed to the door on the other side of the corridor and we crossed over to it.

  Holding my breath, I pushed it open.

  Another, similar, room.

  Theo frowned. ‘No one’s here.’

  I shook my head. It didn’t make sense.

  ‘I’m going to check no one’s found Paul,’Theo whispered. ‘If there’s nobody about we can have a good look around.’

  He vanished and I tiptoed across the room. Halfway over and I noticed it – a tiny perspex cot at the end of the room. A yellow blanketed bundle moved inside.

  I raced over.

  Grace’s tiny face peered up at me.

  My heart gave a jolt. I reached into the cot and gently drew her out.

  ‘Grace,’ I whispered, holding the baby tight against my chest.

  She made a nuzzling noise, then closed her eyes.

  A clatter behind me. I spun round. Milo was wheeling himself through a door I hadn’t even noticed before.

  We stared at each other.

  Milo’s eyes filled with relief. ‘Rachel, I thought you were . . . How did you . . .?’

  ‘I got washed out onto the beach,’ I said, backing away. ‘But I’m back for Grace.’

  ‘No.’ Milo’s eyes filled with alarm. ‘You can’t take her.’

  I glared at him. ‘She’s less than a day old, Milo and she’s been abandoned in a lab. Elijah’s doing tests on her, it’s obscene.’

  ‘No . . . I mean, yes, but the tests are over. Elijah’s furious. He’s tried it every which way and he’s not getting the results he wanted.’

  ‘What results?’ I said, still backing towards the door.

  ‘Grace doesn’t have the same protein in her blood that you do.’

  I stared at him. ‘The same protein?’Was that what it was?

  ‘Yes, Elijah just found out. ‘

  ‘You mean it’s only in me?’

  ‘Yes. Rachel, you have to leave Grace and get out of here. If Elijah finds you . . . if he knows you’re here . . .’

  ‘What exactly is this protein?’ I said, still holding Grace close.

  ‘I don’t know exactly but Elijah says it’s amazing. That . . . that it could save peoples’ lives. Rachel . . . it’s not in anyone else. Elijah thinks you’re dead but if you take Grace then he’ll know—’

&nbs
p; ‘He’ll know anyway,’ I said, thinking of Paul. ‘I have to take Grace. We both know what he does to clones he doesn’t have any use for.’

  ‘He’ll kill me if he knows you were here and I let you go,’ Milo said.

  Arm trembling, he raised his hand from his lap and pointed a gun at me.

  Oh God.

  ‘You don’t know how to use that,’ I said.

  ‘Yes I do,’ Milo said. ‘Elijah taught me years ago.’

  I took another step back.

  ‘Well, even if you do know, you won’t use it,’ I said. ‘I know you, Milo, you’re too much of a coward to pull the trigger.’

  Damn. That was a stupid thing to say.

  Milo’s mouth set into a firm line. His eyes hardened.

  ‘You don’t know what I’m capable of,’ he said.

  64

  Theo

  I raced outside, anxious that Paul had somehow managed to work his way free from his bindings. I needn’t have worried. Paul was still tied safely to the railing. He kicked out when he saw me, his expression furious. I ignored him and ran up the steps. I could see quite a long way up and down the industrial estate from here.

  The place was deserted.

  I jogged back inside, feeling more confident. Now all we needed was a clue to Grace’s whereabouts.

  As I ran down the corridor back towards Rachel I heard her voice. She was talking . . . No, arguing . . .

  I froze. Someone was with her. Moving as slowly as I could, I reached the room she was inside and eased the door open.

  Rachel had Grace in her arms. She was talking to a guy in a wheelchair. He was pointing a gun at her.

  Oh, crap.

  They both turned as I entered.

  With a jolt, I realised that the guy in the wheelchair looked like me. This must be Milo. My mouth fell open. I mean, his hair was more off his forehead than mine and his face was a bit fuller but, even from this distance, the similarity was obvious.

  I stared at him for a second, shocked. So this was the other clone of Elijah. It was the weirdest thing, seeing his face, like looking at a mirror in reverse – or maybe into the face of some long-lost brother.

  That thought sent Daniel flashing through my head – with his big brown eyes and innocent smile. Fury filled me.