‘I demand an explanation. This is my bunker. This is my . . .’
‘Roland,’ Ben says, the soft tone evaporating instantly as he growls the words out. ‘One more word from you and I will batter you senseless . . .’
Roland’s mouth opens ready for the retort. Ready to reclaim his authority, but the hard glares coming from Safa, Ben and Harry stop him before any sounds are formed.
‘Got it,’ Miri says, scrolling through the list of previous destinations on the tablet and shaking her head at how they have all been saved. Cellar. It cements in her mind the need to see this through. She sets the timer on the C4 to ten seconds, before pressing the saved destination on the tablet and confirming it to open. The blue light comes on. Beautiful and mesmerising. Tango Two turns her head to stare properly without the worry of bullets flying everywhere. The room is quieter now. The screaming has stopped. She twists to see that the girl is comforting the target. Smoothing his head while holding him close. She spots Roland Cavendish floundering, as though unsure of what to do or say.
‘Push her through,’ Safa says, clocking the agent looking about the room.
‘She stays,’ Miri says.
‘She’s the fucking enemy,’ Safa snaps.
‘Look through, confirm it,’ Miri says, glancing at Safa.
‘I’ll drag that bitch through and confirm it,’ Safa says, moving towards Tango Two.
‘Stand down, Miss Patel,’ Miri says, halting Safa in her tracks as Tango Two holds very still. ‘Confirm the location.’ Miri points at the blue light. ‘I do not know what it looks like . . .’
Safa glares at Tango Two as she walks to the blue light and quickly leans through, holds position for a second, then comes back. ‘Yep, that’s it.’
‘Hold here,’ Miri says. She takes the tablet and C4 with her through the portal into the basement. An instant transition of time and place. She was expecting to hear the noises, then remembers the basement is soundproofed. A glance round. A need to understand the place where the inventor works. A desire to investigate and seek knowledge, while knowing she has but seconds. She spots the desk. Something catches her eye. Sheets of paper strewn over the tabletop. It’s 2061 here. They use tablets for everything, not paper. She moves over to grab the sheets, and hears noises coming through the door Safa and Ben left open at the top of the stairs when they took Bertram out. No time to wait. She has to go now. She sets the timer, places the C4 down on the desk and rushes back through the portal, thumbing the screen and shutting it down the second she gets through.
‘What’s that?’ Ben asks, looking at the sheets of paper clutched in Miri’s hands.
‘On his desk. All I had time to grab.’ She goes to move off, but stops. She has to know. Nothing can be left to chance. There could be another time machine in the basement. She has to be sure the C4 detonated. She looks at the two poles holding the music speaker-like objects and waits another few seconds, which fill with the sound of Ria, Bertie and Roland all sobbing.
‘Need to know,’ she mutters and moves the poles to face away from everyone. Once set, she stands back and presses the saved destination. The blue light comes on. Heat and flames roar through and up to lick the ceiling. Tango Two stares, entranced, as Safa lifts an arm to cover her face. Miri switches it off. Satisfied the explosion has worked. Only then does she glance at the sheets of paper and spot the hand-drawn schematics of another device identical in design to the first, but with a red glowing field instead of blue. She holds it up towards Ben. ‘That’s why we went now . . .’
‘Fuck,’ Ben says.
‘SOUND WON’T GO THROUGH,’ Bertram roars, his vision returning enough for him to snatch a glance at his papers held by Miri.
None of them ask him what he means, they work to stay focussed and alert in the room now made hot and charged by the flames that came through the portal.
One job done, but there is more to do. So much more. Miri slowly lifts her head to look at the next task and takes in Roland, Bertie and Ria. She looks down to the female agent. She planned for Bertie and Roland, but not the other two. Never mind. Missions are always fluid.
‘I have authority?’ she says, staring at one person.
‘What?’ Safa says as she realises the last question was directed at her.
‘I have authority?’ Miri asks again.
Safa takes her in through fresh eyes. At what the older woman just did. At what she went through and the relentless vicious determination to get Bertram out the house. ‘Fuck yes,’ Safa snorts. ‘You have authority . . .’
‘Miri?’ Ben asks in alarm at seeing the woman sway unsteadily. ‘Maybe you should sit down.’
‘No time. Sit later. Doctor? Sedatives, now.’
‘I’m coming, I’m coming,’ Doctor Watson mumbles, rushing into the room with a large bag.
‘Roland, son, girl and the prisoner,’ Miri snaps, trying to clear her mind to think ahead.
‘What?’ the doctor asks weakly.
‘What?’ Roland asks just as weakly at hearing his name.
‘Sedate them.’
The doctor mumbles a reply and drops to a knee with a grimace as he unfastens the latches on the bag to let it fall open. With shaking hands, he gets a syringe out and works to fit a new needle protected by a bright-orange plastic cap that he bites off and spits aside. He pushes the needle through the rubber seal on a vial, turns it upside down and pulls back to fill the syringe with the clear liquid.
‘What is that?’ Ben asks.
‘What are you doing?’ Roland asks at the same time, alarmed at the sight.
‘Sedative,’ the doctor says. ‘It will help calm you down.’
‘I want Roland and prisoner out. Not calm,’ Miri says.
‘What?’ Roland says. ‘What the hell?’
‘You did it to us, remember?’ Safa says.
‘Hang on,’ Ben says. ‘Miri, what’s going on?’
‘I do not know their medical history. Administering a sedative beyond the prescribed dose could be harmful.’ The doctor joins the babble of voices rising again.
‘Do it now,’ Miri says, ignoring his question.
‘And I say again . . .’
‘Now, Doctor,’ Miri says with an edge to her voice. ‘Or I will.’
‘I want it noted that I am against giving medications beyond the prescribed limit.’
‘Why are you knocking him out?’ Ben asks, holding a hand out to stop the doctor.
Miri’s whole face changes, morphing into pure anger as she strides towards the shocked doctor and snatches the syringe from his hand. ‘We do not have time for this. How did they find the staging area? Who led them there? How did that information get out? Why did that person help us? Is Roland passing information right now? Muscle or vein?’ she barks, dropping next to Roland.
‘Get your hands off me,’ Roland cries out at Miri reaching for his arm.
‘Muscle!’ the doctor blurts, seeing the needle going towards Roland’s arm.
‘Harry, roll him over,’ Miri orders.
‘GET OFF ME,’ Roland yells.