Spiral

  THE BUGATTI VEYRON shot across the grass fields of Windsor Park, narrowly missing a clump of trees.

  “You’re going too fast,” Rebecca One said as the car launched from the top of an incline, then slammed back onto the ground again, jarring her and Vane.

  “Slow down. I think we’re he —”

  With a snarl, Vane yanked the steering wheel around and stood on the brakes. The car went into a 360-degree spin, its tires spewing out snow.

  As the engine stalled, Vane burst from the car, her insect limbs slashing the air.

  Rebecca also stepped from the car, and Vane immediately rounded on her. “What have you done?” the Styx woman screeched.

  Vane began to cough, then doubled over. With a gush of yellow fluid she vomited something from her mouth.

  It was an egg pod.

  She dropped to her knees, taking the pod between her hands and holding it before her as if she was praying.

  “What a terrible, terrible waste,” she said huskily. “My babies need a host. They’re going to die.”

  Driven by Captain Franz, the Mercedes sped across the grass and pulled up beside the Veyron. Alex was also in bad shape, stumbling from the vehicle as Rebecca Two opened the door for her. And the Styx woman had to be helped the short distance over to her sister.

  As they saw each other, Alex and Vane didn’t speak, but their insect limbs clicked together in communication. Still on her knees, Vane held up the egg pod to her sister. Alex shook her head, her expression one of deepest despair.

  Vane rose unsteadily to her feet, then the pair of adult twins swung on the younger ones.

  “Why did you do this? You’ve ruined it for all of us,” Alex accused Rebecca Two.

  “I didn’t sanction anything. I don’t know why we’re here,” the girl replied, turning to her sister.

  Vane began to stride toward Rebecca One as if she meant to do her harm. “Why did you make us leave our babies and all those hot bodies?”

  Rebecca One was unfazed. “That’s why,” she said, spinning around on her heels.

  In the distance, smoke drifted up into the sky.

  Vane and Alex tried to absorb what they were seeing. Still in the thrall of the Phase, their faces were gaunt, their almost translucent skin stretched tight over their skulls, and their eyes purple-rimmed.

  “I tried to tell you in the car, but you weren’t listening,” Rebecca One said softly.

  There was a distant flash, then the sound of an explosion rolled toward them.

  “That was our factory?” Vane asked.

  Rebecca One let out a shuddering sigh. “Yes, it’s all gone. All our warehouses will have been taken out, and everyone along with them.”

  “NO! NO! NO!” Alex screamed at the top of her lungs.

  “But how did you know this would happen? Was that the call on your cell?” Rebecca Two asked.

  Her sister nodded. “Yes. It was a warning,” she said, her voice cracking. “That little creep, Will Burrows, along with Drake and that half-breed Elliott, and all the others we should have buried months back — they’re behind this. They’re to blame.” She was fighting back the tears and took a moment before she went on. “I knew the force of numbers against us were too great. In the time we couldn’t have done anything.”

  “If we can be got at like this, we’re not safe anywhere,” Alex said.

  “It’s Romania all over again,” Vane added, her voice hollow. “Now there aren’t enough of us to see the Phase through. It’s over.” She opened her hand and let the egg pod fall to the snow.

  “No, it’s not over,” Rebecca One said resolutely. “I wish I could have saved more of the sisters, but at least I got both of you out.” She went to Vane and Alex, and laid her hands on their arms. “And we’re going to split you up to help improve our chances.”

  “Why? To do what?” Rebecca Two asked.

  Rebecca One didn’t look at her sister, switching her gaze between Vane and Alex. “There might still be time to do something Topsoil. I don’t know if it’ll work, but we can attempt to induce some of the younger sisters. Then we might have enough of you to get the Phase under way again.

  “But the main thing . . . ,” she said, letting go of Alex but still leaving her hand on Vane, “. . . is that you and I are going somewhere where these vile Topsoilers can’t touch us. Somewhere where we’ll have all the time in the world. Somewhere where the conditions for the Phase should be perfect . . . just perfect.”

  DRAKE HAD CONNECTED the hard drive from the factory security system to a laptop. He then typed wildly on this for several minutes before sitting back and stretching his arms. “I could do with some extra pairs of eyes over here,” he said.

  Will, Elliott, Parry, and Sweeney gathered around him. “I’ve broken the encryption — it was nothing special. This drive contains the last twelve or so hours of footage from the onsite security system.” He leaned forward and typed in several more commands. “And I’m now going to run the output in a mosaic on the main display, so each of you pick yourselves a couple of cameras to watch. It’ll be playing back far faster than normal viewing rate, so the moment any of you spot anything interesting, just holler.”

  Will and the others lined up in front of the screen and waited with bated breath. “Lights! Action!” Drake said, pressing a key. A grid of ten different monochrome images came on-screen and began to play jerkily.

  Will was scrutinizing his two scenes, both of which he thought he recognized. The uppermost seemed to be of the factory reception area, and the second showed a stretch of the corridor leading from it. The reception camera was angled so that he had a view through the glass doors of the entrance, where it was evidently still nighttime.

  The others had divided the rest of the scenes between them, but Parry didn’t seem at all happy with his choice. As he watched what the two cameras inside the main warehouse had captured, he edged a little closer to the screen to scrutinize one of the bodies in the beds, which seemed to be stirring. Sergeant Finch had wheeled himself beside Parry and was also watching intently with him, absentmindedly stroking a cat purring on his lap.

  But as both Parry and Sergeant Finch continued to peer at the body, it began to writhe violently. From the neck to the groin, it burst open, and Styx Warrior larvae wriggled out. If it could have been made any worse than it was, the fact that it was being shown at an accelerated speed didn’t help.

  Parry recoiled as Sergeant Finch shouted, “God’s holy trousers!” so loudly that the cat on his lap took fright and bolted. “It’s like a flippin’ sausage splittin’ down the middle when you overcook it,” he added.

  “It’s an abomination,” Parry croaked. “What I saw in the factory was bad enough, but that defies description.”

  “Focus, Dad, focus,” Drake urged him. “We need confirmation that we finished the job.”

  This sent Parry into a mumbled tirade, of which the others could only catch “teaching your grandmother to suck eggs, are you?” before he straightened his shoulders and began to concentrate properly again. In the semidarkness, flickering images of the Styx women would suddenly come into view, scuttling around like insects as they either went about impregnating more humans or fed on fresh meat.

  “Got a Limiter in mine, but he’s not in uniform,” Elliott announced as her camera revealed one of the Styx soldiers guarding the main gate. “Two Limiters,” she corrected herself when a second soldier came into view. As she saw increasing numbers of them, Eddie came over to watch with her, but made no comment.

  Chester was in the small canteen just off the Hub where he was making tea for everyone while his mother prepared some sandwiches.

  “Gone very quiet out there,” he observed, half glancing through the open door. Then he went back to topping up the last of the mugs with water from the kettle.

  “I’m just so glad you made it back safely,” Mrs. Rawls replied.

  “I’ve got a car entering by the front. Time is nine fifteen,” Elliott reported as an ex
pensive-looking vehicle appeared at the main gates and was allowed through.

  Drake nodded. “The registration number might be useful, but I won’t stop the playb —”

  “More cars,” Elliott interrupted him.

  Chester scooped out the tea bags from each of the mugs with a spoon, then added the milk.

  “I’ll take these through and hand them out. How are you getting on over there?”

  Mrs. Rawls didn’t answer, her back to Chester as she continued to make the sandwiches.

  Chester stepped nearer to her. “Are you still only on the butter?” he asked with surprise. He couldn’t understand why it was taking her so long.

  “I’m just so glad you made it back safely,” she said again.

  Chester shook his head. “Mum, are you OK?”

  She didn’t answer, meticulously spreading butter on a piece of bread, which was already thickly buttered.

  “I’ve got both Rebeccas in the corridor,” Will announced with a shudder. “I think one’s talking on a cell phone.” Then the Rebecca twins disappeared from the scene.

  “I’ll slow the playback a bit,” Drake said, typing on the laptop.

  “Too late, they’ve already gone out of view — but I’m pretty certain that one was speaking on her cell,” Will said.

  “I’ve picked them up in the main warehouse. Keep the playback at that speed,” Parry said. “This is interesting. They’re moving rapidly . . . but what are they up to? See that — they’re hauling a couple of the Styx women out with them!” He struck the floor with his walking stick. “They’ve taken them out of the warehouse!”

  “Now I’ve got a Rebecca with a Styx woman heading toward the front entrance,” Will said.

  Elliott took over. “And I’ve got one of the Rebeccas around the back. She’s got a Styx woman with her, too.”

  Drake squinted up at the big screen. “Styx women? You’re sure about this?”

  Elliott’s voice was uncharacteristically flat as she replied, “Yes. I had a clear view of her insect limbs.”

  Will spotted more activity in one of his scenes. “Me, too.”

  Drake shook his head. “This isn’t good. Keep your eyes peeled — we need to know what else went on before we pitched up.”

  “Mum? Tell me what’s the matter. Are you upset because Dad was injured?”

  Chester laid a hand on his mother’s shoulder, but she shuffled sideways along the work surface, to the next piece of buttered bread. She began to spread even more butter on it. “Isn’t that overdoing it a bit?” Chester said gently.

  She remained silent.

  “Because if you’re cross he got hurt, it wasn’t Drake’s fault — he did his best to keep us out of any danger.”

  Chester craned his neck, trying to see her face. She certainly didn’t appear to be anxious.

  “Why don’t you go and join Dad? Mrs. Burrows is putting a new bandage on him, and I’m sure he’d really like it if you were there,” he said softly to her.

  “. . . made it back . . . made it back . . . made it back,” Mrs. Rawls mumbled, like a stuck record.

  “What?” Chester couldn’t understand it.

  He thought for a second. “They’ve forecast showers of chocolate frogs for tomorrow,” he declared confidently. “We should catch ourselves a few and eat them. What do you think of that? Chocolate frogs?”

  Mrs. Rawls sounded normal enough as she replied — only Chester had heard the same phrase too many times before. “I’m just so glad you made it back safely,” she said.

  Several of the monochrome views faded to black while others were filled with a seascape of wavy interference. “That’s where we came in,” Drake said. “The camera sensors are maxing out with the light from the explosions.”

  Parry turned to him. “So we’re pretty sure the twins bugged out.” He shook his head as if appalled with himself. “No pun intended. And they extracted two of the Styx women.” He looked at Drake. “Their timing was very convenient. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

  Drake raised his eyebrows.

  Parry went on. “The call on the cell could have been to warn them that we were about to enter stage left.”

  “So there’s a mole in the Old Guard?” Will thought aloud. “Or one of Eddie’s Limiters is a traitor?”

  “That’s not possible,” Eddie said.

  As everyone had been talking, Chester had emerged from the kitchen and was standing beside Drake. “I need to speak to you,” he said, with a concerned expression.

  “Hold on a minute, Chester,” Drake replied, rewinding to the moment when Will had seen the Rebecca twin enter the corridor, then freezing it. “You’re right — she’s definitely on a call. If the system clock on the security camera has been set at the right time, we’ll be able to tell roughly when the call took place. Danforth can try to trace the incoming number through the nearest transmitter.”

  “Drake,” Chester said, his voice shaky with desperation.

  “Where is the Prof, anyway?” Drake asked as he resumed his typing on the computer.

  Chester slapped the screen of the laptop shut, almost catching Drake’s fingers. “Why won’t you listen? Something’s not right with my mum.”

  “What do you mean?” Drake said, only now realizing how upset the boy was.

  “She’s acting weird and just saying the same thing over and over again when I speak to . . .” Chester was gabbling, then trailed off as Drake and Elliott exchanged urgent glances. They both seized their weapons and began to move rapidly.

  In an effort to catch a glimpse of Mrs. Rawls in the canteen, Will had edged toward the center of the Hub. But instead, he’d spotted something else rather incongruous.

  “There’s Danforth,” he said, pointing into the entrance tunnel. All the section doors were open, and the small man was standing a distance down it.

  At that moment, the Hub completely powered down, and they were all plunged into total darkness.

  “Is it the Styx?” Mrs. Burrows said, sensing something was wrong. Will hadn’t seen her enter the Hub, and of course the darkness made no difference to her.

  “No, we don’t know that. All of you stay where you are,” Parry ordered, trying to keep everyone calm.

  “Where’s Emily off to?” Mrs. Burrows asked.

  The emergency lighting blinked on. And, sure enough, in the pale yellow glow suffusing the passageway, Mrs. Rawls was striding purposefully toward the Professor.

  “Mum!” Chester shouted after her.

  She hadn’t reached Danforth when she came to an abrupt halt and wheeled around.

  “What’s she wearing?” Chester asked in a choked voice as he saw his mother was dressed in some sort of bulky vest.

  Elliott had her rifle trained down the passageway. “I might be able to wing him,” she whispered loudly enough for Drake to hear.

  Drake gave the slightest shake of his head, then called out to Danforth. “What is this? What’s going on?” he asked.

  “Plan B,” the Professor laughed. “I didn’t think you’d be on my tail so soon.” He was holding something in his hand. It wasn’t a weapon.

  “What do you mean, your tail?” Drake demanded as he started toward him.

  “Might I suggest that you keep well back?” the Professor threatened, brandishing the control in his hand. “I Darklit Mrs. Rawls when Sergeant Finch was having his nap. It may have been a little rushed and not as polished as I’d have ideally liked, but the task I’ve programmed into her is simple enough. She’s sporting enough explosive in her vest to bring the roof down if I tell her to detonate. And if anyone fires a shot at me, or even comes too close, she also knows what to do. It’s boom time.”

  “DANFORTH!” Parry bellowed. “What the hell do you think you’re playing at?”

  “Don’t raise your voice at me, Commander, old chap. I’ve overridden all the systems in the Complex, so please be civil to me. There isn’t anything you can do.” Danforth touched the control in his hand, and the s
ection door between him and Mrs. Rawls began to close across the passageway. Mrs. Rawls didn’t move, standing as still as a statue. Danforth touched the device again, and the door immediately reversed direction, rolling back into the wall. Sergeant Finch was trying the buttons on the handlebars of his mobility scooter, but they no longer had any effect.

  “Explain yourself, Danforth!” Parry yelled, his voice like thunder.

  “You can’t win,” the Professor proclaimed. “The Styx are ushering in a new dawn. You know I finished translating the Book of Proliferation while you were down in London. It’s a blueprint for what comes next . . . after the human race. And what I found when I investigated Elliott — well — it opened my eyes. So it’s nothing personal, Parry . . . it’s evolution, and I want to be on the winning team.”

  “So you’re jumping ship and joining the other side? Is that it?” Parry shouted. “Sounds pretty personal to me, you damn fool!”

  “Why shouldn’t I?” Danforth replied. “I’ve had it with my own kind — they had the benefit of my life’s work, and all the thanks I got was an enforced retirement and house arrest in some Scottish backwater. It wasn’t right, but I don’t expect you to understand, Parry.”

  “No, I bloody don’t,” the old man roared. “We all did what our country asked of us, and none of us expected medals in return.”

  For the first time, Danforth lost his cool repose, his voice going up an octave as he rocked from foot to foot. “I didn’t expect flaming medals. I expected gratitude.” He took a breath, calming himself. “All I wanted was someone to say, ‘Good work, Professor Danforth — you made the world a better place with your ingenuity.’ But instead, I received a gag order in a buff envelope and a one-way ride in a police car to your moldy old estate, Parry.”

  “So, like some whining brat, you’ve decided to betray us,” Parry said.

  “It was a simple matter to trace the Rebeccas’ cell phone number. It was too late to salvage their operation in the factory, but I made them an offer they couldn’t refuse. They didn’t. Once the new order is established, they want me to take over the development of their technology. It’s a job made in heaven!”