“I can’t believe you’ve made it,” he said. “Scarlett told me you were in Brazil.”
“I was.”
“Nice place?”
Matt shook his head. “I’m not going back.”
They were still standing close to each other. Richard lowered his voice and spoke quickly. “Man in charge. Cain. American. Means well but watch out for him. Planning an attack with the World Army. I think he’s crazy but he won’t listen.” He moved away and continued in a normal voice. “I’m so glad you’re here, Matt. I’ve missed you. It’s so good to see you again.”
A second person was moving towards them and Matt recognized Scarlett. Her hair was shorter too and he could see the scar where she had been wounded. Both she and Richard had red streaks on their cheeks and noses from their time in the Middle East sun. She grabbed hold of Lohan first and kissed him on the cheek. Then she did the same for Matt.
“It’s great you’ve arrived at last,” she exclaimed. “I’ve been waiting every day for you to show up.”
“How long have you been here?” Lohan asked.
“Almost a week. We were in Egypt and Dubai and so many things have happened. We were helped by the Nexus and there was this sheikh …” She broke off. “I don’t want to talk about it with everyone here. All I can say is, I’m glad Richard was with me. I don’t know what I’d have done if I’d been on my own.”
“You know these people, Mr Cole?”
Another man had left the table and was walking towards them, and even before he introduced himself Matt knew that he must be the commander that Greyson had mentioned and Richard had just warned him about. He was a big man, physically fit, with broad shoulders, a solid neck and silver hair, cut very precisely. He had the sort of face that demanded to be taken seriously, with a square jaw and ice-blue eyes. Matt guessed he must be about fifty. He was dressed in the uniform of the United States Navy: a khaki jacket and trousers, button-up shirt, black tie, epaulettes and gold belt buckle. There were two rows of coloured ribbons across his chest and although he was in the middle of Antarctica, his shoes were polished and every crease was in place.
“Yes, Commander,” Richard said, in reply to his question. “It’s the best thing that could have happened to us. This is Lohan. I told you about him. He helped us in Hong Kong…”
“And the young man?”
Richard hesitated a moment, wondering if Matt would want to tell these people who he was, but Matt caught his eye and nodded slightly. “He’s Matthew Freeman,” Richard said. “He’s one of the Gatekeepers.”
This caused a stir among the other people who had left the table and were grouped around them. Matt saw that they were all naval people, lieutenants and commanders – but from different navies. One looked South American. Another pair were obviously British, with their navy blue jackets trimmed with gold on the cuffs and crowns displayed prominently on their caps. There were two serious-looking women and an older man in a suit who might have been a university professor.
The commander had heard what Richard said and shook his head slowly, weighing up his words. He showed no emotion at all. Matt could see that he was being careful not to be impressed. “Did they bring in any supplies?” he asked. It was an odd question, almost irrelevant. And he hadn’t even addressed it to Matt, as if he would be unable to answer for himself.
“No, sir,” Greyson replied. He had removed his hood to reveal a short, naval haircut, blue eyes and freckles. He didn’t look much older than Matt himself. “They have a little fuel and alcohol, nothing more. We haven’t had a chance to look over the aircraft, though.”
Matt was growing increasingly uncomfortable. What right did these men have to walk onto their plane – and who had put them in charge? But perhaps he was being unfair. The so-called World Army might have two or three thousand people in it, but someone had to give the orders. A military or naval commander would be the obvious choice. And this wasn’t the time for an argument. Matt wanted to be alone with Richard and Scarlett. He needed to know what was going on.
“It was a Legacy Shuttle, wasn’t it?” the commander asked.
“A Legacy 600, sir.”
“Well, that’s good. We can move some more folk out of tents and put them on board. This weather is too cold to be sleeping outside and we’ve still got women and children with no proper place to go. You can see to it, Greyson.”
“Yes, sir.”
The commander turned back to Matt and although he still wasn’t smiling, at least he seemed to have become a little more friendly. He extended a hand. “It’s very good to meet you, Matthew. Mr Cole has told me a lot about you. You too, Mr Lohan. I guess you and I wouldn’t normally have much to say to each other but that’s the way it is. My name is David Cain, commanding officer on the US Pole Star, and the way things have worked out I’m pretty much in command of the World Army too. We have a lot to talk about, but I imagine you people would like to be together for a while. We were just wrapping up this meeting anyhow.”
He looked at his watch, a chunk of stainless steel on an oversized wrist.
“It’s fifteen hundred hours, almost time for dinner. We don’t eat together but we make sure there’s enough food to go round. And we go to bed early here. It’s hard enough to get any sleep with this permanent daylight. Have you arranged the patrol, Lieutenant?”
“Yes, sir,” Greyson snapped back.
“Right. I suggest we get together for the morning briefing at zero six hundred hours. Obviously, the fact that you’re here changes things – and I have to say, it couldn’t be better timing. My men will escort you back to the Airbus while we check out the Legacy. Does that sound all right to you?”
“Whatever you say,” Matt said. He wasn’t sure whether to add “sir” or not but decided against it.
“I’m glad you’ve come,” Cain said.
He turned away, walked back to the table and began to examine the documents he had been reading when Matt arrived. The other officers and staff were reluctant to leave Matt, but eventually went back and joined him. Lieutenant Greyson and his men waited to one side.
“Let’s go,” Richard muttered.
They went.
Richard and Scarlett had agreed to share the Airbus, giving over the whole lower floor to people who had found it too cramped and the sea too rough on the boats. There were about a hundred of them, sleeping on camp beds that had been set out the entire length of the fuselage. They were mainly Europeans – French, German and Italian – and all ages. As Cain had said, there were even some very young children. The plane was already covered in snow but that helped insulate it and someone had set up a heating system using the aviation fuel that remained. A pyramid of packed ice led up to the main door and steps had been hacked into it to stop people slipping. The door itself was kept open much of the time, although with a thick curtain to keep out the cold.
Matt was glad to get inside. Walking here from the commander’s tent, he had been unable to keep his eyes away from the fortress of the Old Ones at the far end of the ice shelf. He could feel the muscles in his chest tightening. He knew that Chaos was somewhere inside. He was waiting for him. And Chaos would know that he had arrived. The end, the final reckoning between the two of them, was very close.
The people on the plane were already preparing their evening meal, cooking tins of food over Primus stoves. Condensation was running down the windows and the air was warm and fuggy, smelling of tinned soup.
“We’re upstairs,” Richard said, taking Matt through the galley and up the spiral staircase that led to the first class cabin. Like the rest of the plane, most of the seats had been taken out and replaced with camp beds. There was also a table and four chairs. Two men, fair-haired and dressed in pilot uniforms, were sitting there, playing cards with a battered deck. They looked round slowly as Matt and Lohan came in.
“Matt, this is Larry and Zack,” Richard said. “They flew us here.”
“You’re Matt Freeman?” Larry asked. He set down his ca
rds. “I’m glad you’ve arrived, mate. Richard here hasn’t stopped going on about you. So maybe you can do whatever it is you’re supposed to do and get us the hell out of here.”
Matt shook hands with the two Australians. They nodded at him, then promptly went back to their game, as if it was the only thing that mattered in the world. They hadn’t been exactly welcoming but they were so laid-back that he couldn’t help liking them. A few minutes later they finished, Zack spreading out a hand of aces, then they made their excuses and went downstairs. Maybe they realized that Matt and Richard needed time together.
Matt, Richard, Scarlett and Lohan sat at the table. Richard rummaged around and pulled out a bottle of water, some processed cheese and biscuits and a couple of tins of fruit. Matt saw at once that there wasn’t a lot of food but, as hungry as he was, he didn’t complain. There were thousands of people camped out here and no way of getting fresh supplies. How long had the World Army been here? Days maybe, or weeks. But with the cold, the unrelenting wind and snow, it was clear they were already running out of time.
“I can’t believe we’re together again,” Scarlett said. “Now all we need are Scott, Jamie and Pedro. Do you have any idea where they are?”
“Jamie is in London and Pedro is in Rome,” Matt said. He paused. “Scott is here in Antarctica.”
“Where?” Richard was amazed to hear it. “Are you saying he’s with the World Army? Why haven’t we heard from him?”
“He’s not with us, Richard.” Matt’s voice faltered. “He’s joined the Old Ones.”
“No …” Scarlett couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. “That can’t be true, Matt. He’d never do that.”
“He’s with them now, Scarlett. Just two kilometres away on the other side of Oblivion. I know you don’t want to hear it – but it’s true. He decided to join them when he was in Italy and they flew him here.”
“But that means we can’t win!” Scarlett looked horrified. “There have to be five of us.”
Matt sighed. “I know. But you have to understand. Scott has been through a lot and he doesn’t really know what he’s doing. At least he’s here, close to us. He could still change his mind.”
“Can we reach him?”
“Not yet.”
“If only Jamie was here,” Richard said. “He was closer to Scott than any of us.” He turned to Matt. “Where have you been? What were you doing in Brazil?” He nodded at Lohan. “I’m glad you were there to look after him.”
“I’d never have got out without him,” Matt said and Lohan cast his eyes down, remembering how he had behaved.
“I want to hear everything,” Richard said. “When I came out of that door in Giza and found that you weren’t with me…” His voice trailed away. “I thought I’d never see you again,” he said.
“We’ll have time for that later,” Matt said. “But first of all I need to know more about what’s happening here. Tell me about the commander. You said you were worried about him…”
“David Cain!” Richard shook his head. “I suppose we’re lucky to have him. He’s a good man – but the trouble is, he insists on doing things his own way. I don’t know if you saw when you came in, but we’ve got quite a few naval vessels. There’s an Argentinian destroyer, the Pintada. Then there’s the Duc d’Orléans, which is a French surveillance frigate and not much use. There’s even a British submarine, armed with Polaris missiles. Funnily enough, they’re the most stand-offish. They won’t have anything to do with Scarlett or me.
“Cain came off the US Pole Star, like he told you. It’s a Nimitz-class supercarrier. But it’s difficult for him. You have to remember that all these people are basically deserters. They’ve set off on their own to fight the Old Ones. Cain was given the all-clear by Senator Trelawny. Remember him?”
Trelawny was the American politician who had helped Scott and Jamie when they were on the run and who had almost been assassinated in the town of Auburn, California. He had lost the race to become president but he had been helping the Nexus ever since.
“The Nexus have been busy,” Richard went on. “Nobody could rely on government any more. Most of the politicians are either working for the Old Ones or too busy looking out for themselves. But the Nexus have been there with money, supplies, communications. A big part of this army is only here because of them.”
“What’s Cain planning?” Matt asked.
“He was one of the first to arrive and he more or less appointed himself leader of the entire World Army. Maybe it’s no bad thing. He’s decent enough. But you have to watch out for him. I saw his face when you walked in and I don’t think he’s exactly overjoyed you’re here. Anyway, he’s already decided. He’s going to attack the fortress. He was drawing up the plans when you arrived. A military bombardment followed by a full-on assault.”
“That won’t work.”
“I’m sure you’re right. I’ve already said the same. But Commander Cain has no idea what he’s up against. He’s been to military academy and all the rest of it. He fought in Iraq in Operation Iraq Freedom, but that didn’t quite prepare him for shape-changers and demons. He still thinks this is a conventional war.”
“How many people are there here?”
“At the last count, there were two thousand nine hundred and there are more arriving every day. I don’t think there’s a country in the world that isn’t represented. Russia, China, Japan, Australia … you name it. In a way, it’s quite amazing.”
“How long have they been here?”
“The longest … a couple of weeks. And that’s the main problem. We can make our own water but there isn’t enough food to go round, particularly for the people who came on ordinary boats. Two or three more weeks. That’s all we can manage. People are already cold and hungry and they’re beginning to get weak. We can’t let that happen.”
“Has Cain said when he wants to attack?”
“Yes. Tomorrow. If you’d come twenty-four hours after you did, it would have been too late. Scarlett’s going to raise a blizzard and we’re going to use it as cover when we cross Oblivion.”
Matt glanced at Scarlett.
“I’m not sure if he believes me or not,” she said. “I’ve been trying to make it warmer here, to get the sun to break through, but I don’t think I’ve been able to make much of a difference. It’s too much for me. I told the commander I could give him a snowstorm for the attack but he probably just thinks that there was one on the way anyway.” She sighed. “I’m fifteen years old and I’m a girl. Commander Cain doesn’t really like having me around.”
“I’ll talk to him in the morning,” Matt said. He had eaten the fruit and cheese and quickly drained his glass. “Right now, I’m tired. I need to sleep.”
“We’ve got more camp beds set up in premium economy,” Richard said. “Larry and Zack prefer to sleep in first class … but I suppose it’s their plane. I’ll show you.”
He led Matt out of the front cabin. Lohan stayed behind with Scarlett. The two pilots still hadn’t returned but there was guitar music coming from below, soft and strangely comforting in the pale grey night. There were half a dozen bunks spread out with blankets and pillows. Richard took Matt to the one at the very end.
“You can go next to me,” he said.
“Thanks, Richard.”
Matt lay down on the bunk and pulled the cover over himself.
“Tell me about Scott,” Richard said. “You knew it was going to happen, didn’t you?”
Matt wasn’t sure how to answer. “I had an idea. Yes.”
“Couldn’t you have stopped him?”
“I don’t think so.” Matt propped himself up on one elbow. “I never thought it would end this way,” he said. “Everything seems so different now. When you and I first met, in Yorkshire … did you have any idea?”
“If I’d had any idea, I wouldn’t have spoken to you. I wouldn’t even have opened the door.”
“Do you remember Jayne Deverill?
“I’m hardly l
ikely to forget her.”
“That was ten years ago,” Matt said. “That’s what I have to keep reminding myself. Ten whole years have gone by since then … at least for everyone else. And nothing’s the same any more.”
“But we’ll win in the end,” Richard said. “Won’t we?”
“It’ll all work out the way it’s meant to.” Matt sank back onto the bunk, curling his body with his head against the pillow. He smiled tiredly. “I’m glad to see you again. You’re my closest friend. At least that hasn’t changed.”
“You still haven’t told me about Brazil,” Richard said.
But Matt was already asleep.
FORTY-EIGHT
Commander David Cain, senior officer on the US sixth fleet aircraft carrier Pole Star, holder of the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star Medal, acting chief executive of the World Army, stood on a raised dais, addressing the one hundred and fifty servicemen and resistance leaders who had been invited into the tent. This was his moment. There was nothing left to discuss. As far as he was concerned, all the decisions had been made.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he began. “We have arrived at the day of Oblivion. This is the day we bring the fight to the Old Ones and take the world back into our own hands. I’m not pretending it’s going to be easy. Only a fraction of the people here have been combat trained and the great majority of them have never seen action before. We have done our best to equip them. Since we have been here, we have tried to show them how to fight. But I would be the first to admit to you that we’re a poor excuse for an army and we can expect many casualties.
“And yet, at the same time, never underestimate what is possible if you have right on your side. There have been revolutions in France and America, in Russia and South Africa. History is full of moments when the people have come together and taken what is rightfully theirs. This is our world. We never invited the Old Ones into it. And with God’s help, we will drive them out. We will prevail.”