Salby Damned (19 page)

The girl had managed to start the rumbling engine, and Nathan engaged opposite tracks to turn the dozer around on itself before pushing down on the throttle, causing it to jerk forwards slightly. His two accomplices clung on while he manoeuvred the heavy beast.

They raised their weapons and fired short, automatic bursts at more approaching deadheads. It seemed like a long, bumpy ride back. At one point, Nathan needed to place the shaking hand of the young girl on the forward lever. He told her to keep it there as he grabbed his own rifle to take out assailant deadheads intent on over-running the dozer.

The welcome sight of the gates materialised in front of them, and the guards on stag put down covering fire to allow them to enter. They rumbled through and brought the huge machine to a halt.

Susan explained what had happened to the girl, and the guards helped her down and escorted her to the medical facility for help with her wounds. Sergeant Wilkes retrieved her jacket, offering a reassuring smile as the medical staff guided her away.

For Nathan, Chris, and Susan it had been one hell of a skirmish, and they de-kitted the dozer in silence; they would talk about the incident eventually, to each other, perhaps over a few cool ones later on, but for now, there were other things that needed doing.

*******

It was dark when Brian’s eyes fluttered open. He rolled to his right, feeling the warm, soft skin of Meriam's body next to his, still in the clutches of sleep. He brushed his hand over her navel and upwards between her breasts, before gently pulling her towards him as she woke.

She smiled, looking into his gentle, knowing eyes with an overwhelming sense of feeling safe with him. As it was dark, they rose and dressed quietly, intent on some food from the cookhouse.

Stepping out into the communal corridor, with its floor coated in dark red plastic and walls an off-white colour, they turned towards the stairs, just in time to see Colin Snape pushing the stairwell door wide, slightly out of breath after the two-storey climb.

“Ahhhh, there’s my girl,” he said, seeing Meriam and pecking her cheek.

Brian just about managed to resist the urge to punch his boss, and Meriam just about resisted the urge to move away in disgust. For now, the deception had to hold, at least until they’d informed the colonel, and that was to be soon.

“Meriam, I need a word this evening, just you,” he said, with a dismissive glance at Brian.

“We were just going for some food,” she countered, her heart beating double time.

“No rush, I can wait until you get back. Be sure to knock on my door when you’re done. I’ll be waiting,” Snape said, registering his authority for Brian’s benefit.

Snape's appearance changed the mood, and they took the stairs slowly until sure Snape was out of earshot.

“Do you know what he wants?” Brian asked.

“Besides the obvious?” she countered sharply, before realising her tone. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you. He gives me the creeps.”

“It’s fine. I know it’s not easy for you,” he said, squeezing her hand gently.

“He has this crazy plan to break out of the camp. I think we should inform the colonel or the major as soon as we can. Colin reckons it’ll be all ready to go in two days.”

“You’re joking, right? And you’re supposed to go with him, is that right?” Brian asked, as the penny dropped.

“Honey, I had to convince him that I wanted to be with him in order to get him to leave the room so that you could get in. It’s you that I want to be with, Brian.

“Hey, hey, come on now, no tears. He’s not worth them. I want you with me, Meriam. It sickens me to see you have to do this. Please, just be careful. Who knows what the little prick is capable of.”

On reaching the cookhouse, they found it buzzing with activity with many military personnel around. While it wasn’t unusual to see shift changes of soldiers, it was a first to see quite so many. Brian and Meriam watched the movements as they ate, occasionally commenting but mostly in silence, each with thoughts of their own.

Brian had reservations about Meriam placing herself at the whim of Snape, unsure of what the man might be capable of and keen to alert the base commanders to his plan as soon as possible. The actions of the weasel-like executive, skulking around the base for the last two days gathering information, had aroused the suspicions of another member of the base staff in the form of the young corporal.

***

In his office, Major Sower reviewed the plans for the operation the following morning, checking and double-checking each detail to be sure nothing had been overlooked. There was a tap at his door.

“Come in,” he said, curtly.

“Good evening, Sir, I wondered if you had a minute please?” said Corporal Simms.

She entered fully, striding towards his desk and stopping short with a smart salute to the senior officer.

“Of course, Corporal, of course, please sit,” he replied, nodding to acknowledge her salute and gesturing towards the chair opposite him.

“It could be something, Sir, or it could be nothing,” she began, “but through the day, I’ve noticed one of the SGFC employees behaving oddly. I think his name is Colin, Colin Snape, Sir.”

“Go on, go on, Corporal. What exactly have you seen?”

“Well, firstly, I'd gone to check on Sergeant Cross to tell him of the meeting, but he was asleep at the time. I noticed what appeared to be a laptop computer, with the letters GFC written on it, tucked between the blankets. I thought no more of it, assuming it to be his wife’s machine and her initials. It was only some time later that it dawned on me, the significance of the letters–SGFC.” She looked apologetically at the officer, who urged her to continue with a nod.

“Shortly afterwards, I noticed Mr. Snape wandering around pretty aimlessly, that was, until he reached the dorm hangar. Then, he disappeared from view for almost a minute before standing, apparently holding his stomach, and exiting the hangar. I'm pretty sure that he took the laptop, Sir, but I don't know why.”

“How interesting, Corporal. Anything else?”

“A few hours later, I spotted Mr. Snape again, Sir. He was acting very suspiciously, moving around the parade ground entrance area, stopping to make notes and loitering near vehicles from time to time. To me, it looked like he was trying to find a pattern of movements and timings at the base. It seemed a very odd thing for him to be doing, Sir,” she concluded.

“Indeed, Corporal, indeed. It must be the second of the two laptops. Dr. Shepherd has already handed in the first to the tech lads for examination. Could be that the one taken by Mr. Snape has incriminating evidence on it. He will likely have it hidden away somewhere, intent on erasing the data. Do you think he could be planning to force his way off the base, Corporal?” he asked, seeking her professional opinion.

“It is a possibility, Sir, but it seems extreme and full of danger with the current situation. What would you have me do, Sir?”

“Keep a close eye on him for now, but don’t let him know that you’re watching him. Let’s see what he does. He seems to be a bit of a character does Mr. Snape, and I wouldn’t reckon on his chances of surviving long with what’s out there. Snape could also choose to simply destroy the laptop; he may be looking for a way to do that. I'm not sure, but well done, Corporal. I’ll pass on your information to the C.O. If he attempts to leave in the meantime, you have my permission to use any means necessary to prevent him, including the use of lethal force. Was there anything else?”

“No, Sir. Thank you,” she said.

Corporal Simms stood, pushing the chair back in place before performing a rigid salute, a 180-degree-regimented turn, and a walk to the door.

Major Sower thought about the young corporal. She was a great asset to the base and her skills seemed to be growing. He would speak to Richard and stop by the tech lab boys to see if they'd reached any conclusion about the first laptop. Whether the second one, the one in which Mr. Snape clearly had a strong interest, could shed any light on why the now deceased Mr. Garrett had disobeyed direct ministerial instructions, was open to conjecture.

Major Sower locked away the files he'd been using in the grey metal filing cabinet, which stood in the corner of his office, and made his way to the office of Lieutenant Colonel Connell.

The major had much to contemplate, conference with his superior would allow him to bounce theories between them, and Richard might think of something that he hadn’t. Despite the hour, he would not be the only one discussing the events of this night.

By that hour, the majority of the selected military personnel were already catching some overdue sleep so Lieutenant Colonel Connell used the time to go over to the communications centre. It was a highly classified area, with entry restricted to security cleared operational personnel only.

Using the military Ptarmigan multi-scrambled, high-tech radio equipment, he was able to send data from the scientists, as well as a report with the information Dr. Shepherd had briefed at the meeting. It would help other bases to defend themselves against the never-ending onslaught of the infected. He thanked the radio operators before leaving the brick building, on top of which stood an elaborate array of antennae, varying in shapes and height, all intricately laced into the communications network system.

Turning left from the building, back towards the main offices before he retired for some rest, he noticed Major Sower coming towards him.

“Paul,” he said, greeting the officer.

“Richard, some news I think you need to know. I can see you are in a hurry so I'll get straight to the point.”

The two officers spoke in hushed tones. Paul explained to Richard, bringing him up to speed on the information that had come to light from Corporal Simms.

“Well, that is interesting news. What could possibly be so important on that laptop? Provided he doesn't do anything too drastic, if we get the machine, we'll still be able to read it, even if he does a delete. Let’s see what he does before we act further. I suspect that this may be bigger than Snape. He may be able to lead us to the bigger fish, Major.”

“You know, I never thought of that Richard. I may need to sleep; my old brain is tired. That’s what it is,” the major said.

He walked with his old friend towards the cookhouse, intent on some coffee. Both men glanced fleetingly in recognition at the two SGFC employees, seated just inside the doors, clearly embroiled in one another.

***

As they stood to clear the plates after their meal, the atmosphere around them could almost be physically touched; the coming meeting between Meriam and Colin played heavily on her mind.

Brian took the plates to be scraped, seeing that small gesture as something that he could do, but he felt otherwise useless and couldn't lift her mood. The cookhouse was quiet but he sensed that something was happening. There were people coming and going with purpose, preparing for an operation.

Brian took Meriam by the hand, not caring who might see, and they walked slowly through the crowd of uniformed bodies until they reached the canvas pulled back at the entrance. They turned left towards the main brick buildings, intending to see Lieutenant Colonel Connell.

As they approached the main doors, Brian touched the rectangular metal object in his pocket, making sure it was still there. He pulled the door wide, holding it open for Meriam to pass through before the pneumatic arms swished to gently close it behind them.

They saw Corporal Simms first, walking towards them, clutching an armful of files and folders, wrestling with them in a battle against the forces of balance and gravity.

“Can I help you?” she said, pushing a wayward file back into line.

“We’d like to see the lieutenant colonel immediately, umm ... if possible, please,” Brian said boldly.

“I’m afraid he’s in a meeting at the moment, sir. Not sure how long it will be. Is it important?”

“Yes. What about the major? Is he available now?”

“I’m afraid not, sir, he’s attending the same meeting. It could be awhile, I’m afraid. Can I help you in any way?”

“We need to get this to him urgently,” Brian replied. He dug into his pocket, grabbing the component before passing the flat, box-shaped metal object to the corporal.

“Would you be sure that he gets it as soon as he returns from the meeting?” he added.

“I will, sir, would you mind?” she said, twisting her right leg out.

Her eyes urged him to pop the button on her lightweight trouser leg pocket and place it in there for her, given the precarious hold she had on the files and papers. Brian flicked the button of the pocket through, pulling up the over-flap, and with a final look at the flat, aluminium case, he dropped it inside and then buttoned up the pocket.

“Thank you, Corporal, please be sure that he gets it. I think it could be very important. I will try to find him after the meeting to explain further,” he added.

Brian looked at Meriam, who nodded in agreement, as he spoke to the corporal. Brian held the office door open for her, and the corporal thanked him, adding an assurance that she would give the box to the C.O. at the earliest opportunity. The door hissed closed behind her and she was gone.

Brian turned to Meriam and took her hand, squeezing it gently, knowing that they would have to return to the main residential block and she would have to endure the unwanted attentions of her boss, alone. She knew it too.

“I'll be fine,” she said, already able to see the concern in his face.

Her statement was bold to match her tone, as much to reassure herself as him. They walked in silence to the residential block, up the winding stairs, and never once parted hands. Before reaching his door, he kissed her softly, though it tore him to pieces to know that she would have to go into that room. She knocked.

“Meriam,” Snape announced, smirking as he opened the door, retaining his grip on the handle as she passed him. He followed with, “Come in, come in, I’ve been expecting you. Please sit down. Would you like something to drink? I managed to find a cook willing to part with a couple of bottles of beer for the right price.”

“No thank you. Maybe, on second thoughts, yes, as you did so well to get hold of these,” she said, flattering the man’s ego as she took the bottle.

“You’ll have to crack it on the edge of the drawers; bottle openers are hard to come by here. Well, let’s get down to business, shall we?” he leered, stroking her hand.

Meriam panicked, having to place the bottle of beer on the top of the small chest of drawers to prevent from spilling it. She took two long, deep breaths in through her nose, exhaled slowly, and waited for the composure to return.