‘That is what happens . . .’
‘Oh, fuck,’ Mother mutters at the sight of Ben Ryder aiming from the hole in the back of the house. The missile launches and soars up into the gunship on the right. Rotor blades strike with a flash of sparks that send screaming metal ramming into the house as both aircraft spin out of control down to crash into the roof of Cavendish Manor.
‘Ben Ryder. Safa Patel. Harry Madden. Emily Rose and me, Maggie Sanderson. My five against all of you . . .’
Emily ducks, spins and comes up behind a soldier to grab his head. She tenses and snarls to bunch the explosive force needed to break the neck. Only a few metres away, Ria lies in shock on her side, clutching the gunshot in her stomach. Silent. Pale and staring only at the face of her dead mother lying amongst the bodies and debris. The pain is immense. She sees the two men that held her mother now running at Emily and thinks to scream, but stays silent in the chaos and noise.
The speed of them. The vicious power as Alpha wrenches Emily back and spins her round for Bravo to rain withering, brutal punches into her face. Emily tries to block, to counter, but the two best agents go at her. Neither relents. Neither stops. Her nose breaks. Blood sprays out. She blocks a few hits and lashes out, but the psychological effect of just knowing she is fighting Alpha and Bravo give them the edge. She tries, but they are too fast. She screams out as the hard kick takes her down with a dull thud.
Alpha’s foot lifts to stamp. His own bloodied face twisted in malice. The foot comes down, but she smiles up almost in pity at the two men who have no idea what’s coming.
I need Harry. Mad Harry Madden takes the two men from the side. The man is fearless. The sheer power of him lifting both up and along as he drives them into the wall. Mad Harry Madden won’t stop. Mad Harry Madden will eat crackers and cheese tonight with his friend, and he’ll kill every living thing here to do that. He drops to punch. Landing huge hits one after the other into eye sockets, bursting ear drums, breaking noses.
‘Harry . . .’
He snatches round to see Emily on her feet behind him and moves aside. Emily draws and stares down at the battered men. Pick a side, Tango Two. She aims, fires once then twice and goes back into the fray.
‘Your best are dead. Your best will die. Dammit, I hate smoking. You okay, son? You stay there. It’ll be over soon.’
Mother closes her eyes. Maggie Sanderson. Christ, they don’t stand a chance. The PM listens to the flat American voice that comes through speakers to emergency bunkers all over the world as aides, generals and advisors shake heads in confusion.
Ben sprints up the stairs to see Ria down and bleeding. He grabs her wrists to drag her, screaming, through the Red to the instant silence of the bunker.
‘DOC . . . IN HERE . . . !’
‘Coming . . . !’ he hears Doctor Watson shouting, and goes back to the noise, heat and smoke of Cavendish Manor. No panic. Calm inside. He draws, aims and fires his pistol into one going for Safa. He twitches to fire into another one.
‘FALL BACK . . . FALL BACK . . . Miri, Ria activated the Red. It’s live in the house. We’re going back through it now . . .’
Safa, Harry and Emily retreat in a disciplined line. Pistols drawn and firing at anything moving, as all around them the whole house trembles and shakes from the gunships crashing down through the roof.
‘RUN,’ Ben screams as the aviation fuel in the gunships ignites. They run across the landing towards Ben to fall through the Red into the bunker as Cavendish Manor is lost in a fireball that plumes up to be seen in perfect detail by the satellite feed.
They land hard, as they did the first time they came running from Cavendish Manor. They land hard and sprawling in the portal room as Doctor Watson works on Ria. Flames come through the Red. Heat and debris smashing into the walls around them. The doctor drops to protect Ria with his body as Ben scrabbles to get the tablet and swipe the screen to cut it off.
The young soldier on the ground flinches as the house explodes. His eyes locked on Miri as she speaks into his radio. Her voice so calm, so controlled, so powerful. She reaches down to pat his shoulder and winks, telling him it’ll be okay.
‘Miri . . .’ Ben comes through the Blue. ‘Ria’s been shot in the stomach . . . Doc’s working on her now with the others . . . Who the hell is that?’ he asks on seeing the soldier.
‘Just a kid,’ Miri says. ‘Tell John the bullet passed straight through Ria. No serious internal injuries . . .’
‘How do you . . . ?’ He trails off, too in the heat of the moment to care for the answer. He watches Miri lift the radio to her mouth and press the button. She speaks slowly. Deliberately and with care.
‘Are you all listening safe in your bunkers? My name is Maggie Sanderson. I will complete my mission, then destroy any and all devices. If you interfere with my team again, I will release the bubonic plague in your cities and poison your water. I will either find you as children and kill you, or be there when you wake in the night old and frail to see me watching you. I will find your families. There is no place I cannot go and there is no thing I will not do to achieve my objective. What you are, I am, but worse, because I did it first and I did it longer . . . If you have any doubt as to my words, let me show you what I can do . . . Let me show you how a plan is executed . . .’
‘Maggie! This is Mother . . . Don’t you fucking dare . . . For the love of god, don’t do it . . .’
‘I already am . . .’
Forty-One
How do you stop a government?
They ate because they knew the day would be long and it was decided to punch through while the energy was high.
A few minutes for Safa to check Emily’s injuries to her face. It should have been the doc checking, but he stays with Ria. Refusing to believe Miri that the bullet passed through and caused no serious internal damage. Having a time machine is one thing, but he is a doctor and he will check for himself, thank you very much.
They drink water. Rinse faces and reload weapons before gathering in the portal room in front of the two inert devices.
How do you stop a government?
‘Ready?’ Miri asks, holding the tablet.
Safa waits to take the lead. She is Safa. She always takes the lead. ‘Ben? You sure about this?’ she asks quietly, her pistol held in a double-handed grip in front.
How do you stop a government?
‘I am,’ Ben says, holding his own pistol in the same way. They all do. All holding pistols double-handed and ready. Hearts hammering. Eyes fixed and staring.
‘Ready,’ Safa says.
How do you stop a government?
The Blue comes on. Safa charges forward with pure aggression on her face to a voice booming through a radio network.
‘Maggie! This is Mother . . . Don’t you fucking dare . . . For the love of god, don’t do it . . .’